Dozens Missing After Ferry Carrying 65 Passengers Sinks Near Indonesia’s Bali

Four people are dead and dozens more are missing after a ferry sank off Bali late on Wednesday evening local time.

Rescuers are searching for survivors after the vessel reportedly encountered bad weather conditions while traveling to Bali from Banyuwangi on the eastern coast of Java island.

There were 65 people on board—53 passengers and 12 crew members—and 31 people have since been rescued, the Surabaya office of the National Search and Rescue Agency said.

It is understood that the KMP Tunu Pratama Jaya sank around 30 minutes into a 50-kilometer journey after departing Ketapang Ferry Port in East Java.

“The ferry could not be contacted via radio from the beginning. Then it could be contacted by other ships from the same company. But the ship was already in a tilting condition,” Nanang Sigit, head of the search and rescue agency, said in a statement, ITV reports.

“For today’s search, we are focusing on searching on the water, as the initial victims were found in the water between the location of the accident toward Gilimanuk port.”

The ferry’s lifeboat was used by four of the survivors who were rescued Thursday morning after managing to save themselves, the search and rescue agency said.

The nationalities of those on board have not yet been reported, but it is known that locals were onboard.

Worried families turned up at the port to wait for news of their loved ones.

Search operations have been launched from East Java and Bali after Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, who is currently visiting Saudi Arabia, ordered an emergency response, according to BBC reports.

Before sinking, the ferry operator had reported engine trouble, but authorities are investigating the cause.

According to local media, officials are putting the incident down to “bad weather.”

Banyuwangi police chief, Rama Samtama Putra, has told local media that many of the survivors had drifted in the sea for hours, and were unconscious when found.

Initial rescue efforts overnight were reportedly hampered by strong winds and powerful currents.

Nine vessels, including two tugboats and two inflatable boats, have been involved in the rescue efforts.

Speaking after being rescued, one survivor said: “When the ferry started to tilt, I initially intended to jump into the sea, but the ship quickly sank.

“So I didn’t need to jump anymore but sank with the water entering the ship, maybe about seven meters deep, so I immediately climbed to the top.”

“[After being at sea] I met two other people who I eventually joined. Then another person joined us, so there were four in total, each using a life jacket [strung around the neck].

“Until this morning, one of us died while the other three survived.”

As the world’s largest archipelagic nation, marine incidents and sinkings are relatively common in Indonesia.

The country relies heavily on sea transport to connect its more than 17,000 islands, so a large number of vessels are on the water every day.

There are also concerns that many of the boats are poorly maintained, often overcrowded, and not always compliant with safety regulations.

In April, a snorkeling boat carrying 13 people capsized in rough seas off Nusa Penida, southeast of Bali, and killed a 39-year-old Australian woman.