A ferry carrying 65 people, including passengers and crew, sank off the coast of Indonesia’s resort island of Bali late Wednesday night, leaving at least four people dead and many others missing, according to rescue authorities.
The vessel, which had 53 passengers and 12 crew members on board, was en route from Banyuwangi, on the eastern tip of Java, to Gilimanuk Port in Bali when it went down at approximately 23:20 local time (15:35 GMT). Preliminary reports suggest the ferry may have suffered engine trouble before sinking, though the exact cause remains under investigation.
Indonesia’s National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) confirmed on Thursday that 29 people had been rescued. Search operations are ongoing, but are being hampered by rough sea conditions and fading daylight.
“We are doing everything we can to locate the missing,” said a Basarnas spokesperson. “Search boats have been deployed, and our teams are combing the waters near the incident site.”
The Java-Bali ferry corridor is among the busiest maritime routes in the country, frequently used for tourism, trade, and commuting. Many of the passengers on board were residents of Banyuwangi, while others came from deeper inland areas of Java, according to an initial passenger manifest.
President Prabowo Subianto, currently on an official visit to Saudi Arabia, ordered an immediate emergency response. “The safety of our citizens is paramount. I have directed all relevant agencies to intensify rescue operations without delay,” he said in a statement issued by his office.
The ferry’s operator told local media that the crew had reported mechanical issues shortly before the vessel began to sink. Authorities are now reviewing the ship’s maintenance logs and investigating possible breaches of maritime safety regulations.
Images released by Indonesia’s Antara News Agency showed ambulances lined up along the shoreline and anxious families gathered near the coast, awaiting news of their loved ones.
Marine accidents are sadly frequent in Indonesia, an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands where aging vessels, overcrowding, and lax enforcement of safety standards often lead to fatal incidents. Just in March, an Australian tourist died when a small boat carrying 16 people capsized off the coast of Bali.
As rescue efforts continue, families of the missing remain hopeful for miracles, while growing calls for stricter maritime oversight are being echoed across the nation.
