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The Indonesian Search and Rescue Agency stated that an Indonesian passenger ship carrying 243 people was reported missing after losing contact in the Java Sea early Sunday amid severe weather conditions.
The agency explained that the vessel, Virgo Transport 8, set sail on Saturday from the city of Surabaya in East Java heading towards the city of Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan before communication with it was lost.
The agency said, "As of the issuance of this statement, the ship cannot be contacted and its location is unknown."
The agency added that rescue teams have initiated a search operation, dispatching a team to the ship's last known location.
Indonesia, an archipelago of 17,000 islands, relies heavily on ferries as a primary means of transport, as maritime routes are less expensive and more available than air travel.
However, safety standards are not always strictly enforced, leading to a relatively high accident rate.
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