1 dead, 86 rescued after Indonesian ship carrying 243 reported missing in Java Sea

One person was found dead and 86 others were rescued after an Indonesian passenger ship carrying 243 people went missing Sunday in the Java Sea, while the status of the remaining passengers was unknown, broadcaster Kompas reported.

The Virgo Transport 8 was en route from Surabaya, East Java, to Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, when communication was lost at around 2 am Central Indonesian Time (1800GMT Saturday).

I Putu Sudayana, head of the Class A Search and Rescue Office in Banjarmasin, said his office received the emergency report two hours later and a joint search and rescue team immediately departed for the area.

"The latest information received indicates that the ship is facing bad weather in the waters of the Java Sea, approximately 80 nautical miles (92 miles) from the Basirih SAR Dock, Banjarmasin," Sudayana said in a statement.

Of the 243 people on board the ship, 30 were crew members.