Indonesian rescuers were searching today for 140 people from a passenger ship that sank in the Java Sea after 103 others were evacuated, one of whom died.The Virgo Transport 8, carrying 243 passengers and crew, had lost contact with its shipping company earlier today after departing from Surabaya in East Java.The Search and Rescue agency said one of the passengers had died from the incident. The agency added that rescuers battled waves of up to 2.5m to reach the ferry.Rescuers further launched a search, deploying a team, ships and a helicopter toward the passenger vessel's last known position.The vessel's last position had been detected in the Java Sea, around 150km from its destination.Indonesia, an archipelago of 17,000 islands, relies heavily on ferries as a key mode of transportation, with sea routes more affordable and readily available than air travel.Source: CNA | Reuters
