Helicopter and vessel dispatched from Surabaya to hunt missing Java Sea ferry

Nanang Sigit P.H., head of the Surabaya SAR Office, announced that the HR-3601 helicopter took off from the 400 Squadron at Juanda Naval Air Base at 8:22 a.m., staffed by five crew members and two rescuers, and is slated to arrive in Banjarmasin around 10:31 a.m. to coordinate with I Putu Sudayana, head of the Banjarmasin SAR Office. Earlier, the office also launched the KN SAR 249 Permadi from the Navigation District port in Tanjung Perak at 8:30 a.m.; the vessel carries an 11-person crew, four Surabaya rescuers and two East Java Police Water and Air Police personnel, and is expected to reach the search zone by about 9:30 p.m. The missing vessel, Virgo Transport 8, was reported lost at 1 a.m. after encountering severe weather while en route to Banjarmasin, prompting a Banjarmasin rescue team to depart at 4:30 a.m. on the KN SAR Laksmana 241.

Alerts have also been sent to ships near the area by the Sumenep SAR Post in coordination with the Masalembu Ship Reporting and Operations Center. The joint effort continues as authorities seek any sign of the ferry carrying 243 people.