A ferry carrying 65 people sank off the Indonesian island of Bali late Wednesday, leaving at least four dead and dozens still missing, officials said. The disaster occurred amid rough sea conditions, with high waves hampering early rescue efforts.
The KMP Tunu Pratama Jaya had set sail from Ketapang in East Java and was en route to Gilimanuk in western Bali when it sank approximately 30 minutes after departure, according to Indonesia’s national search and rescue agency. The vessel left port around 11:20 p.m. local time.
So far, rescue teams have saved 31 people and recovered four bodies. Some of the survivors were found unconscious, having drifted in the water for hours before being pulled to safety, local media reported.
The search for the 30 people still unaccounted for continues, with nine rescue boats and local fishermen assisting in the ongoing operation.
Nanang Sigit, head of the Surabaya rescue agency, told reporters that initially, 38 people were believed to be missing. He noted that bad weather conditions—strong winds and waves reaching 2.5 metres—had made it difficult to reach the vessel or carry out immediate evacuations.
“The ferry could not be contacted via radio from the beginning,” Sigit said, as quoted by AP. “Then it could be contacted by other ships from the same company. But the ship was already in a tilting condition.”
The survivors include four people who escaped using the ferry’s lifeboat and were later rescued on Thursday morning.
Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto, currently on an official visit to Saudi Arabia, has ordered an emergency response to the tragedy. Additional personnel and equipment have been dispatched to aid search and rescue operations.
According to authorities, the ferry was carrying 53 passengers, 12 crew members and 22 vehicles, including 14 freight trucks. The Ketapang-Gilimanuk route is one of the country’s busiest ferry crossings, heavily used by locals and cargo transporters alike.
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