At least six dead after ferry sinks near Bali

Around 30 people are still missing after the ferry, travelling from Java to Bali, overturned in rough seas but authorities said there were no foreigners on board.

Rescuers search for victims after a ferry en route for Bali sank off Ketapang, East Java. Picture: Basarnas via AP.

At least six people have been killed and about 30 people remain missing after a ferry sank in rough seas off the west coast of Bali late Wednesday night (local time).

Balinese authorities confirmed on Thursday afternoon that 33 survivors had been rescued along the Jembrana coastline.

The vessel, KMP Tunu Pratama Jaya, departed Ketapang in East Java bound for Gilimanuk, on the west coast of Bali, at 10.56pm. It reportedly sank 25 minutes into the journey.

The incident was witnessed by the harbour master on duty, who promptly alerted local search and rescue agencies.

There were 53 passengers and 13 crew members on board for the short 5km crossing across the Bali Strait. It was also carrying 22 vehicles, including 14 heavy trucks.

A spokeswoman for the Surabaya Search and Rescue (SAR) team said there were no foreign nationals on board, according to the manifest. Most passengers were residents of Bali or East Java.

“The ferry tilted and immediately sank,” survivor Eka Toniansyah told reporters at a Bali hospital. “Most of the passengers were from Indonesia. I was with my father. My father is dead.”

Banyuwangi SAR, based at Ketapang, launched a search using a rigid unflatable boat. A rescue team from the Jembrana SAR in Bali was also deployed.

“A team from the Surabaya SAR Office is also heading to the location, and the SAR vessel KN SAR Permadi is being prepared to support the operation,” said Surabaya SAR chief Nanang Sigit.

He noted that most survivors escaped using life rafts, while others washed ashore wearing flotation devices.

“Some of the deceased were found close together – three near one another – and one in a separate location,” he added.

Mr Sigit said that 15 vessels had been deployed for the search. “Given the high traffic between Ketapang and Gilimanuk, we’ve also instructed passing vessels and local fishermen to keep watch and report any sightings,” he said.

He added that while there is a possibility some victims remain trapped inside the sunken vessel, current efforts are focused on locating survivors on the surface.

Before the ferry went down, the crew had reported engine failure and a leak in the engine room, according to the Gilimanuk Port Authority.

Ni Putu Cahyani Negara, head of Sailing Safety and Patrol Supervision (KBPP), said rough sea conditions may have contributed to the sinking. “According to weather reports, wave heights today range from 1.7 to 2.5 metres,” she said.

Authorities retrieve a victim’s body that was brought to shore in Bali by local fishermen. Picture: AFP PHOTO / BASARNAS

Bali Police spokesman Kombes Pol Ariasandy said the deceased were three males and three females, all residents of Banyuwangi, East Java. One of the victims was a three-year-old boy, who was the son of one of the survivors.

He confirmed that search operations by the joint SAR team were ongoing both at sea and along the Gilimanuk shoreline.

“This tragedy is a deep sorrow for us all, especially the victims and their families. We continue to hope the number of casualties does not increase,” he said.

President Prabowo Subianto, who was on a trip to Saudi Arabia, ordered an immediate emergency response, cabinet secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya said in a statement Thursday, adding the cause of the accident was “bad weather”.

Marine accidents are a regular occurrence in Indonesia, an archipelago of around 17,000 islands.

In March, a boat carrying 16 people capsized in rough waters off Bali, killing an Australian woman and injuring at least one other person.

A ferry carrying more than 800 people ran aground in shallow waters off East Nusa Tenggara province in 2022 and remained stuck for two days before being dislodged with no one hurt.

And in 2018, more than 150 people drowned when a ferry sank in one of the world’s deepest lakes on Sumatra island.

with AFP