Ferry carrying 65 people sinks near Bali; 4 dead, rescuers search for 43 missing

Rescuers on Thursday, 3 July, were searching for 43 people missing in rough seas overnight 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 leaving East Java's Ketapang port late 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.

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Four bodies have been recovered and 23 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 (6.5 feet) 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.

Rescuers were busy searching for 38 people missing in rough seas overnight after a ferry sank near Bali, according to the Surabaya Search and Rescue Agency.