4 Dead, Dozens Missing As Ferry Sinks Off Indonesia’s Bali

Four people died and atleast a dozen went missing after a ferry with 65 people sank off Indonesia’s Bali, per authorities.

Rescuers are looking for the 32 people after the KMP Tunu Pratama Jaya sank shortly after it left Banyuwangi port, per Indonesia’s search and rescue agency, BASARNAS.

The sea and weather improved in the morning, helping in the search effort. 29 people were rescued in the operation, which included 9 vessels.

The Police Chief, Rama Samtama Putra, said that several survivors were initially unconscious after they spent hours drifting in the ocean.

Family members of the passengers rushed to the port, and crying could be heard from far, as they desperately sought any information about the well-being of their loved ones in the hopes that they had survived.

The President of Indonesia, Prabowo Subianto, who is currently on a visit to Saudi Arabia, ordered an emergency response.

Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya said that the cause of the accident was “bad weather”.

Disasters at sea are a common occurrence in Indonesia, which is an archipelago of around 17,000 islands. Strict safety standards are needed as vessels can often be seen sailing overloaded and without appropriate life-saving equipment.

In March, a boat loaded with 16 people capsized off Bali, leading to the death of an Australian woman and one other person.

In 2018, over 150 people drowned after a ferry sank in one of the deepest lakes in the world on the island of Sumatra.

Source: Maritime Shipping News