New Delhi, Sept. 13 -- Indonesian rescuers launched a search operation Sunday after authorities lost contact with a passenger ship carrying 243 people in the Java Sea, officials said. According to the latest reports, the rescue agency said some 103 people were evacuated from the Indonesian ship earlier reported missing at sea.

1. The passengers were travelling from East Java to South Kalimantan province. The passenger and cargo ship Virgo Transport 8 departed from Surabaya, East Java, on Saturday before running into bad weather and losing contact with its shipping company early on Sunday.

"The ship's operator reported the incident to authorities after receiving information that the vessel had encountered bad weather," said I Putu Sudaya...