Indonesian authorities are searching for a vessel with 243 people on board that went missing in the Java Sea amid adverse weather

The Indonesian passenger vessel Virgo Transport 8, with 243 people on board, was declared missing Sunday morning after contact with it was lost in the Java Sea amid unfavorable weather conditions.

The vessel had departed Saturday from Surabaya, in East Java province, and was heading toward Banjarmasin, in South Kalimantan province. Indonesia’s national search and rescue agency stated that the vessel could no longer be contacted and that its current position was unknown.

Rescue teams began operations and sent a team to the vessel’s last known position. As of the time of the statement, authorities had provided no information about any possible survivors or the cause of the disappearance.

The incident brings attention once again to the risks of maritime transport in Indonesia, a country made up of approximately 17,000 islands, where ferries are an essential means of transportation. Safety regulations are sometimes inadequately observed, and maritime accidents are relatively frequent.

Rescuers continue the search in difficult conditions.