Skip to content

Five dead, dozens missing after ferry sinks off Bali

Koh Ewe, Astudestra Ajengrastri and Hanna Samosir
BBC News
Reporting fromSingapore and Jakarta
Getty Images A woman comforts another woman holding a babyGetty Images
Relatives of those missing have been anxiously waiting for updates

At least five people have died and dozens are missing after a ferry sank off Indonesia's tourist island of Bali, rescuers said.

The boat was carrying 53 passengers and 12 crew members when it sank at 23:20 local time (15:35 GMT) on Wednesday while on its way to Bali from Banyuwangi on the eastern coast of Java island, the Surabaya office of the National Search and Rescue Agency said.

Thirty-one survivors have been rescued, the agency says, as the search continues.

Authorities are investigating the cause of the sinking. The ferry operator had reported engine trouble shortly before it sank, while an official said the cause was "bad weather", according to local media.

Map of Ketapang Port to Gilimanuk port ferry route in Indonesia

Many of the survivors are residents of the coastal town of Banyuwangi while others come from more inland areas of Java, according to a list released by authorities.

Imron, a resident of Banyuwangi, says the ferry capsized quickly after tilting sharply three times.

"By the third time, sea water had already entered the passenger cabin," he says.

Imron swam through a gap in the ferry and drifted into the open sea, before finding a life jacket. He was later rescued by a fisherman.

Bejo Santoso, another survivor, jumped off the ferry in time and managed to reach for a life jacket.

"About three minutes after the ship started rolling, it capsized. I still had time to jump," he told Indonesia's Antara news agency.

President Prabowo Subianto has ordered an immediate emergency response from Saudi Arabia, where he is on an official visit.

The vessel's route - one of Indonesia's busiest - is often used by locals going between the islands of Java and Bali.

Photos published by Antara news agency showed ambulances on standby and residents waiting for updates by the roadside.

Marine accidents are frequent in Indonesia, a sprawling archipelago of around 17,000 islands, where uneven enforcement of safety regulations is a longstanding concern.

In March, an Australian woman died after a boat with 16 people on board capsized off Bali.

Bali Search and Rescue Rescuers wearing orange helmets on a boat. They are sailing in waters in the dark.Bali Search and Rescue
Rescue operations are underway in the Bali strait