Indonesia rescuers battle turbulent seas in search for 129 people after passenger ship capsizes

The Virgo Transport 8 ship carrying 243 people went missing ​in bad weather early on Sunday, the rescue agency said. Authorities have since rescued 108 people from the ​ship, which was travelling from Surabaya in East Java to Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan.

Choppy waters ⁠with high waves and strong winds were impeding the search on Monday, said Mohammad Syafii, head of the national rescue agency. The ​agency has deployed at least 622 personnel, 17 ships, five helicopters and aircraft to find the missing passengers, Syafii added.

Some of the ships have ​arrived at the location but it was difficult for rescuers to make their way into the capsized ship, he said. "We would also deploy personnel with underwater rescue skills but the current conditions do not allow us to," he said.

"While waiting for the weather conditions to improve, ​we are identifying more personnel with special skills," he said, adding the death toll remained at six. In a video shared ​by the rescue agency, a large red-and-black ship was capsized and partially submerged in choppy blue water, with its red-painted underside visible above the ‌surface.

Two ⁠small boats, each carrying people, were seen floating in rough waters near the capsized ship. The location of the capsized boat is around 80 nautical miles (nearly 150 kilometres) from the command centre at Trisakti Port in Banjarmasin, another official at the rescue agency.

"The conditions there are quite windy, making it difficult for the vessel to dock," the official, Arianto Ardi, said. THREE-METRE WAVE CRASHES ​INTO SHIPThe weather was very ​poor when the incident ⁠happened, with waves as high as three metres crashing into the ship, Syafii said.

It takes around five hours to reach the location from Trisakti Port in good weather but requires up to nine ​hours in rough conditions.