Jakarta: A rescue operation was under way in rough seas on Thursday after five people died and dozens were left missing when a ferry carrying 65 people sank near 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 the popular Indonesian tourist island late on Wednesday, the national search and rescue agency said.
The boat was carrying more than 60 people, the national agency said.
Rescuers search for victims after a ferry sank between East Java and Bali.Credit: National Search and Rescue Agency/AP
Thirty-five people had been rescued, the East Java rescue agency said, with the rest still missing.
The incident was witnessed by the on-duty officer at the port and reported to the rescue team. Nine boats, including two tug boats and two inflatable boats, as well as fishermen and people onshore searched for survivors.
“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 Surabaya Search and Rescue agency, in a statement.
A woman weeps at Ketapang Port in East Java after her relative boarded a ferry that sank overnight on its way to Bali.Credit: AP
Relatives of passengers onboard a ferry that sank off Bali despair in East Java.Credit: AP
“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.”
Strong waves up to 2.5 metres high and darkness were hampering the search overnight on Wednesday, but a rescue official said improved conditions on Thursday made it easier for rescuers.
The passengers were all Indonesian, the transport ministry said.
Family members came to the departure port in panic, some weeping, as they sought reassurance about their loved ones and hoped they were among the survivors.
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. In March, a tourist boat capsized in heavy seas, killing Australian woman Anna Blight.
AP, Reuters
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