4 dead, dozens missing after ferry carrying 65 people sinks near Bali, search on for 38 missing

The ferry carried 53 passengers, 12 crew members and 22 vehicles (Image: X/@Harian_Jogja)

At least four people have died, 38 are missing and 23 rescued after a ferry carrying 65 people sank near Indonesia’s resort island of Bali.

The KMP Tunu Pratama Jaya sank almost half an hour after it left East Java’s Ketapang port late Wednesday, the National Search and Rescue Agency said in a statement.

The ferry bound for Bali’s Gilimanuk port, reportedly carried 53 passengers, 12 crew members and 22 vehicles, which included 14 trucks.

The Banyuwangi police chief, Rama Samtama Putra, told AFP that the officials have recovered four bodies, while 23 people were rescued, mostly unconscious.

Immediately after the incident, a search operation was launched involving nine boats, including two tug boats and two inflatable boats, battling waves up to 2 meters (6.5 feet) high.

This isn't the first time that such an incident has occurred in Indonesia. Notably, ferry tragedies are common there as they are often used as transport and safety regulations can lapse.

Last month, a ferry carrying 89 passengers, including crew, capsized and sank in Bali’s Nusa Lembongan. There were no casualties reported in the incident and all the passengers were rescued safely. In another such incident in May, seven domestic tourists were reportedly killed and 34 injured after a wooden vessel sank in Bengkulu province of Indonesia.

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