The death toll has reached 20 after a passenger ship sank in Indonesia’s Java Sea. According to the National Search and Rescue Agency, 115 people remain missing while 108 have been rescued. The vessel, named ‘Karya Transport 8,’ was traveling from Surabaya to Banjarmasin when contact was lost due to bad weather on the morning of September 13.
‘Karya Transport 8’ departed from Surabaya in East Java on September 12, heading toward Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan. Problems arose during the voyage due to adverse weather conditions, and communication was lost at approximately 2 a.m. local time on September 13.
Rescue teams working in the search and salvage efforts have discovered bodies inside the ship and along the coastal areas of Central Kalimantan province. Divers are focusing their efforts on the ship’s cabins; however, limited underwater visibility and strong sea currents are hampering the recovery operation, the agency reported. Indonesia, an archipelago consisting of around 17,000 islands, relies heavily on ferries and other maritime transport. Due to weather, sea conditions, and safety concerns, maritime accidents occur sporadically in the region.
