KATHMANDU: An Indonesian passenger plane with about 240 people on board has gone missing in the Java Sea, Indonesian search and rescue officials said on Sunday.

According to the South Kalimantan Province’s Search and Rescue Agency, the ship was traveling from Surabaya in East Java province to Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan province. It is said that contact with the ship was lost during the journey.

The ship’s last known location was about 80 nautical miles from the search and rescue facility in Banjaramsin, officials said.

A rescue ship has been sent to the scene for search and rescue after the ship went out of contact. The rescue team is trying to find out the location of the missing ship and search for the passengers on board.

According to preliminary information, the passenger ship had faced bad weather before losing contact. Officials said that the ship’s journey may have been affected due to adverse weather at sea.

Search and rescue officials said that no human casualty has been reported in the incident so far. However, the rescue team has intensified the search and rescue operation as there are about 240 people on board the ship.

Indonesian authorities are trying to get more information about the plane’s whereabouts and the condition of the passengers.