Four Dead, Dozens Injured, Missing After Bali Ferry Sinks

(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) KUALA LUMPUR, July 3 (KUNA) -- At least four people died and dozens injured when a ferry, bound for Bali from Indonesia's main island of Java, sank. The vessel was carrying 53 passengers and 12 crewmembers.
According to local authorities, 35 survivors have been rescued while 26 remain missing.
The search and rescue agency coordinator Wahyu Setiabudi, in a statement relayed by local news agency (Antara), affirmed that search operations are still underway with teams widening their search perimeters, as bodies could have drifted with the currents.
The ferry sank off the coast in Bali Strait, just before midnight last Wednesday night.
Authorities are considering the possibility that the ferry was carrying more passengers than declared, remarked the Indonesian official, saying that this has been a common practice.
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, who is in an official visit to Saudi Arabia, directed with activating emergency response measures immediately affirming that preliminary reports cite bad weather conditions as the case behind the incident.
The route, from Java to Indonesia's resort Island of Bali, is a vital route used by large numbers of local travelers.
Indonesia frequently records similar incidents due to feeble safety procedures and deteriorating weather conditions. (end)
aab

MENAFN03072025000071011013ID1109755870