DENPASAR: At least five people were dead and dozens unaccounted for on Thursday (Jul 3) after a ferry sank on its way to the resort island of Bali, according to local authorities who said 31 survivors had been plucked from the water so far.
Rescuers were racing to find the 29 people still missing at sea after the KMP Tunu Pratama Jaya sank after leaving East Java province’s Banyuwangi port late on Wednesday.
According to Indonesia’s search and rescue agency, BASARNAS, the ship sank at around 11.20pm local time, about 25 minutes after setting off.
The boat was carrying 53 passengers and 12 crew members, as well as 22 vehicles.
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.
“The ferry tilted and immediately sank,” survivor Eka Toniansyah told reporters at a Bali hospital.
“Most of the passengers were from Indonesia. I was with my father. My father is dead.”
Another survivor, Supardi, recounted how water rushed into the ship.
“When the ferry started to tilt, I initially intended to jump into the sea, but the ship quickly sank, so I did not jump any more but sank with the water entering the ship, maybe about 7m deep, so I immediately climbed up to the top,” the 64-year-old said.
