Four dead, 30 missing after ferry sinks near Indonesia’s Bali, agency says

Indonesian rescuers raced to find victims in rough seas on Thursday after five people died and dozens were left missing when a ferry carrying 65 people sank near the island of Bali, according to search and rescue agencies.

The KMP Tunu Pratama Jaya sank almost half an hour after leaving East Java province’s Banyuwangi port on its way to Bali late on Wednesday, the national search and rescue agency said.

The boat was carrying 53 passengers and 12 crew members, as well as 22 vehicles, the national agency said. Thirty-five people have been rescued so far, the East Java rescue agency said, with the rest still missing.

The ship was rated to carry 67 people and 25 vehicles, according to Indonesia’s transport ministry.

A search for the missing is underway although it is being hampered by strong currents and winds, the national rescue agency said. It has deployed a helicopter to the location and 13 underwater rescuers, it said.

Video provided by national rescue agency Basarnas showed what appeared to be the body of one person being carried to shore from a fishing boat in calm seas.

The passengers were all Indonesian, the transport ministry said.

Ferries are a common mode of transport in Indonesia, an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands, and accidents are common as lax safety standards often allow vessels to be overloaded without adequate life-saving equipment.

A small ferry capsized in 2023 near Indonesia’s Sulawesi island, killing at least 15 people.