Indonesia's ferry services are facing renewed scrutiny after a boat carrying 53 passengers and 12 crew sank in rough seas after leaving East Java’s Ketapang port late on Wednesday, heading for Bali’s Gilimanuk port.
Rescuers have been frantically searching for dozens of people unaccounted for in the hours after the ferry sank,
Four people are reported dead and 23 have been rescued, according to the Surabaya Search and Rescue Agency. The death toll is expected to rise.
The KMP Tunu Pratama Jaya sank almost half an hour after leaving Ketapang port on the hour-long journey to Bali, the agency said.
Many of those rescued were drifting in choppy waters for hours, Banyuwangi police chief Rama Samtama Putra said.
In June, a ferry sank while leaving Nusa Lembongan island. Passengers had to scramble to safety as the boat keeled over.
A small ferry capsized in 2023 near Indonesia's Sulawesi island, resulting in the deaths of 15 people.