Indonesian authorities ramped up their search Monday for 129 people still missing after a ferry capsized in severe weather in the Java Sea, an accident that has left at least six passengers dead.
The Virgo Transport 8 had more than 240 people aboard when its captain sent a distress signal reporting that the vessel was listing in rough seas. The ferry was traveling from Surabaya, in East Java province, to Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan on Borneo Island, amid waves reaching up to 10 feet.
Authorities lost contact with the ferry at about 2 a.m. Sunday. Roughly two hours later, they received reports that the ship had overturned in the Masalembo waters of the Java Sea, around 92 miles from Banjarmasin.
Video released Sunday by Indonesia’s National Search and Rescue Agency showed the overturned ferry adrift in choppy waters as helicopters scanned the area.
Divers deployed with underwater drones
A major rescue operation was underway Monday, with 17 ships and aircraft and about 655 personnel from the military, police and other agencies deployed to search for survivors, National Search and Rescue Agency chief Mohammad Syafii said.
Officials also sent specialized underwater search teams and navy-operated thermal drones below the surface in an effort to expand the search and accelerate the recovery and evacuation of victims, Syafii said.
“We remain hopeful of finding more survivors,” Syafii said during a video briefing.
Rescuers, aided by tugboats and other vessels passing through the area, saved 108 people on Sunday and recovered six bodies.
According to the ferry’s manifest, 243 people were on board: 213 passengers and 30 crew members. Authorities noted, however, that passenger totals in Indonesia can differ from official manifests.
The 390-foot ferry, built in Japan in 1987, was also carrying 89 vehicles when it overturned.
Authorities have not determined the cause of the accident.
ALSO READ: Second Federal Judge Blocks Trump Mail Ballot Order as Supreme Court Review Looms
Survivors recount harrowing moments as ferry overturns
A survivor, Ahmad Saudi, said the ferry appeared overcrowded, with many passengers forced to sleep in hallways and common areas because the cabins were full.
Saudi, a bus driver traveling with a vehicle he was transporting, recalled how the ferry suddenly listed without warning, triggering panic among passengers as rough seas battered the vessel in the Java Sea.
Passengers initially tried to hold on before scrambling to the higher side of the ship as it tilted further, he said, speculating the ferry’s balance may have been affected by trucks loaded on one side.
“The women staying in the economy-class cabins likely didn’t survive because the ferry listed so quickly,” Saudi said.
“There were no alarms or announcements warning passengers about what was happening, many people in the cabins may not have had enough time to get out.”
Faisal, another survivor who goes by one name, said he and 14 other passengers clung to a section of the overturned ferry that remained above water after it capsized.
“After the ship listed, people panicked and rushed to the upper deck, but eventually the ferry rolled over completely,” he said. “Fourteen of us were left stranded there.”
The group repeatedly recited the Islamic call to prayer, or adhan, while battling exhaustion and rough seas as awaiting rescue.
A wave later swept Faisal toward a lifeboat, helping him survive, he said.
Indonesia is an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands.
Ferries are a common method of travel and accidents occur regularly, in part due to weak enforcement of safety standards.