Four Dead As Ferry With 65 Aboard Sinks Near Bali In Indonesia

At least four people have reportedly died after a ferry carrying 65 people sank late on Wednesday night while en route to Indonesia's popular tourist destination, Bali. As of Thursday morning, July 3, 38 passengers remain missing, according to officials.

The vessel, identified as KMP Tunu Pratama Jaya, went down in the Bali Strait, the narrow waterway separating Bali from Indonesia's main island, Java, just 25 minutes after departing from the eastern Javan port of Banyuwangi. "Twenty-three rescued, four dead," said Rama Samtama Putra, police chief of Banyuwangi, speaking to AFP early Thursday. The search and rescue operation is ongoing.

According to a statement from the Surabaya Search and Rescue Agency, the ferry had departed Banyuwangi before midnight, bound for a port in northern Bali. The vessel's manifest listed 53 passengers and 12 crew members, along with 22 vehicles, including 14 trucks.