The KMP Tunu Pratama Jaya ferry sank in the Bali Strait on Wednesday evening, Indonesian media reported.
The vessel, which was sailing from Ketapang to Banyuwangi to Gili Manuk, sank approximately 25 minutes after departure. According to preliminary data, there were 53 passengers and 12 crew members on board. The ferry was also carrying 22 vehicles, including 14 trucks.
Rescuers found four survivors who were evacuated from the sunken vessel in a lifeboat. Banyuwangi Police Chief Rama Samtama Putra later reported that two bodies had been found and 29 people had been rescued, many of them unconscious “after drifting for hours in rough waters.” Thirty people remain missing.
Nine ships are participating in the search. The search continued into the night in darkness with waves reaching 2 metres.
Later, the Surabaya search and rescue agency said that two more bodies had been found and three survivors had been rescued. The search for missing persons is ongoing. The ship’s route is one of the busiest in Indonesia and is frequently used by local residents travelling between the islands of Java and Bali.
