Search underway for Indonesian passenger ship carrying 240 people after it loses contact

Indonesian rescuers have launched a search operation after a passenger ship carrying 240 people lost contact in the Java Sea while traveling from East Java to South Kalimantan on Borneo island

JAKARTA, Indonesia -- Indonesian rescuers launched a search operation Sunday after a passenger ship carrying 240 people lost contact in the Java Sea while traveling from East Java to South Kalimantan on Borneo island, officials said.

The Search and Rescue Office in Banjarmasin, the capital 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 148 kilometers (92 miles) from a pier in Banjarmasin.

Arianto Ardi, operations chief at Banjarmasin's rescue agency, confirmed the loss of contact with the vessel and said rescue personnel had been dispatched to the area.

Authorities said the ship’s operator reported the incident after receiving information that the vessel had encountered bad weather.