Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
An Indonesian passenger ship carrying 243 people lost contact in the Java Sea early Sunday during bad weather, prompting search and rescue operations, the country’s search and rescue agency said in a statement.
The Virgo Transport 8 ship set sail on Saturday from the East Java city of Surabaya for the South Kalimantan city of Banjarmasin before losing contact, the agency said.
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“At the time of this statement, the ship cannot be contacted, and its whereabouts are unknown,” the agency said.
Rescuers have launched a search operation and deployed a team toward the ship’s last known position, the agency added.
Indonesia, an archipelago of 17,000 islands, relies heavily on ferries as a key mode of transportation. Sea routes are more affordable and readily available than air travel.
However, safety standards are not always rigorously enforced in the country, resulting in a relatively high accident rate.
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SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
