A passenger ferry carrying 12 crew members, 53 passengers, and 22 vehicles sank late Wednesday night in the Bali Strait while en route from East Java to Bali, leaving at least four people dead, according to Indonesian authorities.
The vessel, KMP Tunu, departed from Ketapang Port in Banyuwangi and was headed for Gilimanuk Port in Bali. It issued a distress call at 11:20 pm before sinking at 11:35 pm, the Banyuwangi Search and Rescue (SAR) office reported.
SAR coordinator Wahyu Setiabudi said port monitoring officers witnessed the sinking after receiving the distress signal.
A joint rescue operation was launched at 12:18 am but faced difficulties due to rough sea conditions.
“Waves at the site reached up to 2.5 meters,” he said, adding that 14 people had been rescued as of Thursday morning.
