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.
With steep tariffs on Indian imports, Diwali is expensive to celebrate this year in Alabama
"I guess if I had to take it in a positive way, I would say it's making the artists come out of all of the parents," said one Bollywood dance instructor who is forgoing new costumes this year for her students.
Tech CEOs say the era of ‘code by AI’ is here. Some software engineers are skeptical
While AI is increasingly used to write code, every line is still reviewed by humans. Some engineers complain about having to clean up AI-generated code.
Some ant architects design a colony to cut the risk of disease. Humans, take note!
One kind of tiny ant can serve as a monumental example for how to keep members of a community safe from pathogens. A new study shows how they do it.
A theory why the internet is going down the toilet
A new book diagnoses a sickness affecting some of America's biggest companies.
Amid tariff costs, a ‘speed dating’ event helps connect Southern auto suppliers, makers
Manufacturers like Hyundai gathered in Huntsville to hear pitches from U.S. suppliers, as tariffs have prompted them to look for local options.
‘Cancer doesn’t care’: Patients pushed past divisive politics to lobby Congress
Hundreds of volunteer advocates put partisan differences aside and pressed Congress to help people with cancer. The advocacy came just before the stalemate that has shut down the federal government.
