A ferry headed for Indonesia’s Bali sank on Thursday, leaving at least four people dead and dozens missing, the second such accident in the island resort’s waters, where maritime travel is repeatedly impacted by lax safety standards and harsh weather.
At least four people were dead and dozens unaccounted for Thursday after a ferry sank on its way to the resort island of Bali, according to local authorities who said 23 survivors had been plucked from the water so far.
Rescuers were still racing to find missing people after the vessel carrying 65 passengers sank before midnight on Wednesday as it sailed to the popular holiday destination from Indonesia‘s main island Java.
“23 rescued, 4 dead,” Rama Samtama Putra, police chief of Banyuwangi in East Java, where the boat departed, told AFP.
President Prabowo Subianto, who was on a trip to Saudi Arabia, ordered an immediate emergency response, cabinet secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya said in a statement Thursday, adding the cause of the accident was “bad weather”.
The local rescue agency in the Javan city Surabaya had earlier said 61 were missing and four rescued, without giving a cause for the boat’s sinking.
“KMP Tunu Pratama Jaya… sank about 25 minutes after weighing anchor,” the Surabaya search and rescue agency said.
“The ferry’s manifest data totalled 53 passengers and 12 passenger crews,” it said.
A rescue team and inflatable rescue boats were dispatched and a bigger vessel was later sent from Surabaya to assist the search efforts.
It said the ferry was also transporting 22 vehicles, including 14 trucks.
Accidents common
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