An Indonesian passenger ship carrying 243 people has gone missing in the Java Sea after encountering severe weather. The vessel lost all communication with the control center shortly after departing Surabaya Port for Banjarmasin on Saturday morning.

According to reports by Reuters and the Associated Press (AP), the ship left Surabaya, Indonesia’s second-largest city, for Banjarmasin, the capital of South Kalimantan province, at 10:13 a.m. local time on Saturday. It later encountered adverse weather conditions.

I Putu Sudayana, head of the Banjarmasin Search and Rescue Office, said in a video message that the operator company notified the authorities after receiving a distress signal indicating that the vessel was facing dangerous weather conditions. A search and rescue operation was launched immediately.

According to the AP, the ship’s last location signal was received when it was about 148 kilometers from a jetty in Banjarmasin.

A rescue vessel has already been dispatched from the Basirih Jetty in Banjarmasin to search for the missing passengers. Given the large number of people on board, rescue teams have given the operation the highest priority and deployed personnel and equipment to the area.

Search efforts are being conducted in coordination with the authorities while weather conditions are being monitored continuously. However, officials have yet to confirm the whereabouts of any passengers or report any casualties.

Indonesia, an archipelago of nearly 17,000 islands, relies heavily on ferries and passenger ships for transportation. However, weak safety measures and inadequate monitoring have frequently contributed to serious maritime accidents in the country.