Search for Indonesian missing ship carrying 240 people

A search is underway for an Indonesian passenger ship carrying 240 people that's missing after losing contact in the Java Sea.

Indonesian rescuers launched a search operation on Sunday after the ship lost contact while travelling from East Java to South Kalimantan on Borneo island, officials said.

The Search and Rescue Office in Banjarmasin, the capital city of South Kalimantan province, said they received a report the Virgo Transport 8 had experienced a communication failure while en route to the city from Surabaya, Indonesia's second largest city in East Java province.

Initial information indicated the vessel's last known position was in the Java Sea, about 148km from a pier in Banjarmasin.