Search for 140 people missing from Indonesian passenger ship

What the report says

Authorities in Indonesia are searching for about 140 people who remain missing after a passenger ship carrying more than 240 people lost contact in the Java Sea during bad weather, according to Sky News World. The incident involved a ferry-style passenger vessel operating in Indonesian waters, and officials said contact was lost amid difficult sea conditions.

The ship was reported to have been carrying more than 240 people when it disappeared from communication, leaving emergency responders to account for the passengers and crew. Sky News World said the search was focused on the area of the Java Sea, where weather conditions were a factor in the vessel’s loss of contact.

The development highlights the risks of ferry travel in a large archipelago such as Indonesia, where passenger ships are a common mode of transport between islands. In general, maritime incidents in the region can be complicated by rough weather, busy shipping lanes and the challenge of locating vessels quickly once contact is lost.

Officials have not, in the supplied material, provided a final toll or explained what caused the ship to lose contact. The search continued as authorities worked to determine who had been rescued and who was still unaccounted for.