At least four people died and many others were missing after a ferry sank in rough seas near Indonesia’s Bali island late Wednesday (local time), news agency AFP reported.The KMP Tunu Pratama Jaya went down about 30 minutes after leaving Ketapang port in East Java. It was headed for Gilimanuk port in Bali, which is about 50 kilometers away, the National Search and Rescue Agency said in a statement as cited by the news agency Associated Press.“23 rescued, 4 dead,” Rama Samtama Putra, police chief of the East Javan town of Banyuwangi was quoted as saying by news agency AFP.The ferry was carrying 65 people, 53 passengers and 12 crew members, along with 22 vehicles, including 14 trucks.Search and rescue teams have been operating since Wednesday night. Nine boats, including two tugboats and two inflatable boats, have been searching for the missing people in waves up to 2 meters high.The ferry journey from Java to Bali usually takes about one hour and is commonly used by people traveling between the islands by car. It was not immediately known whether any foreign nationals were on board when the ferry sank.Indonesia, which has more than 17,000 islands, often relies on ferries for transportation. Accidents are common due to poor enforcement of safety standards.In March, a boat with 16 people on board capsized in rough waters off Bali, resulting in the death of an Australian woman and injuries to at least one other person.In 2022, a ferry carrying over 800 people ran aground in shallow waters near East Nusa Tenggara province. It remained stuck for two days before being freed, with no reported injuries.In 2018, more than 150 people died when a ferry sank in one of the world’s deepest lakes on Indonesia’s Sumatra island.
