A passenger ship that had lost contact in Indonesia's Java Sea has sunk, with around 130 people still unaccounted for, the country's National Search and Rescue Agency said on Sunday.

Around 110 people have been rescued, and at least one person has died, according to the latest available figures.

The Chinese Consulate General in Surabaya told Xinhua that no Chinese nationals were aboard the ship, citing information verified by relevant authorities in the Surabaya city government.

The passenger ship, Virgo Transport 8, was carrying 243 people when it lost contact at around 2 a.m. local time on Sunday after encountering bad weather, according to the search and rescue agency.

The vessel had departed from Surabaya in East Java province on Saturday and was heading to Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan province.

The cause of the accident remains unclear. Indonesian search and rescue authorities have deployed personnel, ships and a helicopter to waters near the vessel's last known position to conduct search and rescue operations.

Indonesia, an archipelagic country with around 17,000 islands, relies heavily on ferries and other forms of sea transportation to connect its islands and facilitate travel. Maritime accidents occur from time to time due to factors including weather conditions, sea conditions and vessel safety.