Two dead and 43 missing after ferry sinks near Bali, rescuers still searching
Rescuers continued searching on Thursday in rough seas for the missing passengers and crew.
The KMP Tunu Pratama Jaya sank almost half an hour after leaving East Java's Ketapang port late on Wednesday, the National Search and Rescue Agency said in a statement.
It was bound for Bali's Gilimanuk port, a 50-kilometre trip.
The ferry carried 53 passengers, 12 crew members and 22 vehicles, including 14 trucks, it said.
Two bodies have been recovered and 20 people were rescued, many of them unconscious after drifting in choppy waters for hours, said Banyuwangi Police Chief Rama Samtama Putra.
Nine boats, including two tug boats and two inflatable boats, have been searching for the missing people since Wednesday night, battling waves up to 2 metres high in the overnight darkness.
Ferry tragedies are common in Indonesia, an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands, where ferries are often used as transport and safety regulations can lapse.
AP
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Perth Now
2 days ago
- Perth Now
Indonesia resumes search for missing ferry passengers
Indonesian rescuers are battling strong currents as they resume the search for 30 people still missing at sea about 35 hours after a ferry sank killing at least six people. The ferry named KMP Tunu Pratama Jaya was carrying 65 people, all Indonesians, when it sank about 30 minutes after setting sail from East Java bound for the holiday island of Bali on Wednesday night, said search and rescue agency official Ribut Eko Suyatno. Twenty-nine survivors were rescued on Thursday before the search was called off due to poor visibility. Dayu Made Silawati, 55, said her husband, Dewa Gede Adyana Putra Usia, was travelling on the ferry to pick up supplies in Bali for his job as a truck driver. Waiting for news at a rescue centre in Bali, she said the last time she spoke to him was on Wednesday night. "'I just got on the ship,'" she recalled him saying. "I said to him, 'Be careful, dear.'" At 4am on Thursday, Silawati said she called him again, and again. There was no answer. Rescue operations resumed on Friday in the waters of Bali Strait involving ships, helicopters, and hundreds of rescuers, Eko said. Strong currents and rain are expected. Transportation safety investigators would probe the cause of the sinking when the search is over, officials said. The ferry was not overloaded when it went down, officials said on Thursday. Ferries are a common mode of transportation in Indonesia, a nation of over 17,000 islands, and lax safety standards allow vessels to be overcrowded with inadequate life-saving equipment.
West Australian
2 days ago
- West Australian
Indonesia resumes search for missing ferry passengers
Indonesian rescuers are battling strong currents as they resume the search for 30 people still missing at sea about 35 hours after a ferry sank killing at least six people. The ferry named KMP Tunu Pratama Jaya was carrying 65 people, all Indonesians, when it sank about 30 minutes after setting sail from East Java bound for the holiday island of Bali on Wednesday night, said search and rescue agency official Ribut Eko Suyatno. Twenty-nine survivors were rescued on Thursday before the search was called off due to poor visibility. Dayu Made Silawati, 55, said her husband, Dewa Gede Adyana Putra Usia, was travelling on the ferry to pick up supplies in Bali for his job as a truck driver. Waiting for news at a rescue centre in Bali, she said the last time she spoke to him was on Wednesday night. "'I just got on the ship,'" she recalled him saying. "I said to him, 'Be careful, dear.'" At 4am on Thursday, Silawati said she called him again, and again. There was no answer. Rescue operations resumed on Friday in the waters of Bali Strait involving ships, helicopters, and hundreds of rescuers, Eko said. Strong currents and rain are expected. Transportation safety investigators would probe the cause of the sinking when the search is over, officials said. The ferry was not overloaded when it went down, officials said on Thursday. Ferries are a common mode of transportation in Indonesia, a nation of over 17,000 islands, and lax safety standards allow vessels to be overcrowded with inadequate life-saving equipment.
ABC News
3 days ago
- ABC News
Four dead and 38 missing after ferry sinks near Bali, rescuers still searching
Four people are dead and 38 are missing after a ferry carrying 65 passengers sank near the resort island of Bali, according to Indonesian officials. Rescuers continued searching on Thursday in rough seas for the missing passengers and crew. The KMP Tunu Pratama Jaya sank almost half an hour after leaving East Java's Ketapang port late on Wednesday, the National Search and Rescue Agency said in a statement. It was bound for Bali's Gilimanuk port, a 50-kilometre trip. The ferry carried 53 passengers, 12 crew members and 22 vehicles, including 14 trucks, it said. Four bodies have been recovered and 23 people were rescued, many of them unconscious after drifting in choppy waters for hours, said Banyuwangi Police Chief Rama Samtama Putra. There has been no official statement on the nationalities of the passengers, but a manifest list broadcast by news channel MetroTV indicated there were no foreigners on board. Nine boats, including two tug boats and two inflatable boats, have been searching for the missing people since Wednesday night, battling waves up to 2 metres high in the overnight darkness. Four of the known survivors saved themselves by using the ferry's lifeboat and were found in the water early on Thursday, the local search and rescue agency in Surabaya said. Ferry tragedies are common in Indonesia, an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands, where ferries are often used as transport and safety regulations can lapse. A small ferry capsized in 2023 near Indonesia's Sulawesi island, killing at least 15 people. AP/AFP/Reuters
