Rescuers in Indonesia said at least six people were killed and 129 others were missing yesterday after a ferry sailing between the islands of Java and Borneo was hit by bad weather and capsized.

The Virgo Transport 8 -- which authorities said carried  213 passengers and 30 crew -- lost contact with its shipping company early yesterday after departing from Surabaya in East Java.

Basarnas, Indonesia’s national search and rescue agency, said in its latest update that six people were killed and that one more survivor was found, bringing the number of people rescued to 108. Another 129 people were still missing.

The first rescue ship carrying survivors arrived before nightfall at a pier in Banjarmasin, a city on the southern coast of Borneo island, an AFP reporter saw.

Some of the survivors were carried on stretchers into waiting ambulances. Others were put into wheelchairs or needed help walking.

In ferry disasters in Indonesia, search efforts are typically suspended during the night. Indonesian Transport Minister Dudy Purwagandhi said the ship had capsized.