Ferry sinks off Bali coast, 38 still missing

JAKARTA: Four people died, 38 were missing and 23 survived after a ferry carrying 65 people sank near the Indonesian island of Bali, the country's Search and Rescue agency said on Thursday.

The KMP Tunu Pratama Jaya sank almost half an hour after leaving East Java province's Banyuwangi port on its way to Bali late on Wednesday, the agency said on Thursday.

The boat was carrying 53 passengers and 12 crew members, as well as 22 vehicles, the agency said.

A search for the missing is underway although it is being hampered by strong currents and winds, the agency added.

Ferries are a common mode of transport in Indonesia, an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands, and accidents are common as lax safety standards often allow vessels to be overloaded without adequate life-saving equipment.

A small ferry capsized in 2023 near Indonesia's Sulawesi island, killing at least 15 people.