Rescuers search for survivors after ferry sinking near Bali, Indonesia

JAKARTA, Indonesia — Rescuers were searching Thursday for 32 people missing after a ferry sank the previous night near Indonesia’s resort island of Bali. Four bodies have been recovered, and weather and sea conditions were improving during the morning, aiding the search for survivors.

So far, 29 people have been rescued, according to the National Search and Rescue Agency.

Family members came to the departure port in panic, some weeping, as they sought reassurance about their loved ones and hoped they were among the survivors.

Nine boats, including two tug boats and two inflatable boats, as well as local fishermen and people onshore searched for people. Strong waves up to 2 meters (6.5 feet) high and darkness had hampered the search overnight, but a rescue official said improved weather and sea conditions in the morning made it easier for rescuers to continue the search for the missing victims.

The KMP Tunu Pratama Jaya sank almost half an hour after leaving Ketapang port in the East Java town of Banyuwangi late Wednesday, bound for Bali’s Gilimanuk port, a 50-kilometer (30-mile) trip.

The ferry carried 53 passengers, 12 crew members and 22 vehicles, including 14 trucks, the National Search and Rescue Agency said in a statement.

The ferry sinking was witnessed by the on-duty officer at the port before it was reported to the rescue team.

“The ferry could not be contacted via radio from the beginning. Then it could be contacted by other ships from the same company. But the ship was already in a tilting condition,” said Nanang Sigit, head of Surabaya Search and Rescue agency, in a statement.

“For today’s search we are focusing on searching on the water, as the initial victims were found in the water between the location of the accident toward Gilimanuk port,” Sigit said.

Many of those rescued were unconscious after drifting in choppy waters for hours, said Banyuwangi police chief Rama Samtama Putra.

Ferry tragedies are common in Indonesia, an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands, where ferries are often used as transport and safety regulations can lapse.