Indonesia: Search for 140 people missing from passenger ship

Around 140 people are still missing after a passenger ship in Indonesia carrying more than 240 people lost contact in the Java Sea during bad weather, officials say.

At least 102 people were rescued and the body of a passenger was recovered as the search operation expanded in waters around the vessel's last known position.

The country's search and rescue agency said the Virgo Transport 8 ship set sail on Saturday from Surabaya, East Java, to the South Kalimantan city of Banjarmasin on Borneo before losing contact.

The ship's captain had earlier reported rough seas with waves of up to 3m (10ft) before issuing a distress message, saying the ship was tilting, said I Putu Sudayana, who heads the Search and Rescue Office.

Authorities later received information indicating the vessel had overturned, he added.

The Search and Rescue Office in Banjarmasin said it received a report that the ship had experienced a communication failure, with initial information indicating the vessel's last known position was about 92 miles (148km) from one of the city's piers.

The ship's operator, PT Virgo Yoel Rihi, reported the loss of contact and said the vessel had departed from Surabaya on Saturday at 10.13am local time.

The Search and Rescue Office said it received a report two hours after contact was lost with the ship at around 2am on Sunday.

A rescue team was dispatched to Banjarmasin's Basirih Search and Rescue pier, and a rescue ship headed to the vessel's estimated last known position.

A helicopter, tugboats and other vessels were used in the recovery effort.

Mr Sudayana said authorities were mobilising all available personnel and assets because of the large number of crew and passengers who were on board.

He said the agency was coordinating with maritime authorities and other relevant agencies in the search, while closely monitoring weather conditions.

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The incident comes a month after five people died when a ferry caught fire off Madura island, just across from Surabaya.

Indonesia, an archipelago made up of around 17,000 islands, relies heavily on ferries to travel between islands, with sea routes more affordable and readily available than air travel.

However, safety standards are not always strictly enforced, which results in a relatively high accident rate.

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