JAKARTA: Indonesian rescuers launched a search operation in the Java Sea on Sunday after a passenger ship carrying 241 people lost contact while traveling from East Java to South Kalimantan on Borneo island, officials said.

The Search and Rescue Office in Banjarmasin, the capital of South Kalimantan province, said it received a report that the Virgo Transport 8 had experienced a communication failure while sailing from Surabaya, Indonesia’s second-largest city, toward Banjarmasin.

According to initial information, the vessel’s last known location was in the Java Sea, around 148 kilometres (92 miles) from a pier in Banjarmasin. The ship’s manifest showed that it was carrying 241 passengers.

There were no immediate reports of casualties following the loss of contact.

Arianto Ardi, operations chief at Banjarmasin’s rescue agency, confirmed that authorities had lost communication with the vessel and said rescue personnel had been deployed to search the area.

“We have established an operations post at Trisakti,” Arianto said.

Authorities said the ship’s operator reported the incident after receiving information that the vessel had encountered bad weather while traveling through the Java Sea.

Rescue teams are continuing efforts to locate the missing passenger ship and determine the condition of those on board.