A ferry overturned in bad weather in Indonesia's Java Sea on Sunday, leaving about 130 passengers and crew missing, rescuers said. At least 107 people were rescued and the bodies of six passengers were recovered as the search operation expanded around the vessel's last known position.
The ferry with more than 240 people was traveling from Surabaya in East Java to Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan province, on Borneo Island, officials said.
The vessel's captain had reported rough seas with waves up to 10 feet before issuing a distress call, saying the ship was listing, said I Putu Sudayana, who heads the Banjarmasin Search and Rescue Office. Authorities later received information indicating the vessel had overturned.
The rescue agency in Banjarmasin said it received a report two hours after contact was lost with the Virgo Transport 8 at about 2 a.m. Sunday.
A rescue ship was headed to the vessel's last known position, he said, and by Sunday afternoon authorities were deploying teams supported by eight vessels, including four navy ship, and two helicopters.
Initial information indicated the vessel's last known position was in the Java Sea, about 92 miles from Banjarmasin. The ship's manifest said it was carrying 243 people - 213 passengers and 30 crew members - although it is common in Indonesia for the number of passengers to differ from the manifest. The vessel was also transporting 89 vehicles.
Transportation Minister Dudy Purwagandhi said aerial searches showed the ferry was floating upside down and had not sunk. Rescuers were concentrating search efforts around the overturned ferry, he told reporters Sunday.
Hundreds of relatives gathered at a command center in Banjarmasin's Trisakti port, awaiting word on family members believed to be aboard the ferry. Many anxiously checked passenger manifests and rescue lists as authorities continued searching for survivors.
"I was shocked when I saw my uncle's name on the passenger list," said a woman who goes by a single name, Bunga. "But I felt relieved after officials told me he had been rescued."
Indonesia is an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands where ferries are a common method of travel. Disasters occur regularly, with weak safety enforcement often blamed.