A tragic ferry disaster off the coast of Indonesia has left at least four people dead and 30 still missing, after a vessel carrying 65 passengers and crew sank in rough seas while traveling from Java to the resort island of Bali, according to national rescue authorities.
The ferry, which departed from Indonesia’s main island Java, capsized before midnight on Wednesday, prompting a large-scale emergency response. As of Thursday, 31 survivors have been rescued from the water, while search and rescue operations are ongoing, officials said.
“The ferry tilted and immediately sank,” said survivor Eka Toniansyah, speaking from a Bali hospital. “Most of the passengers were from Indonesia. I was with my father. My father is dead.”
Mohammad Syafii, chief of Indonesia’s national search and rescue agency, confirmed the death toll and ongoing search during a Thursday press briefing.
“Four people died, so 30 people are still being searched for,” he said, noting that a helicopter and rescue vessels were deployed to aid in the operation.
President Prabowo Subianto, currently on an official visit to Saudi Arabia, has called for an immediate emergency response. Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya said the president was closely monitoring the situation and attributed the accident to “bad weather.”
Search efforts were initially hindered by severe conditions at sea. Nanang Sigit, head of the Surabaya Search and Rescue Agency, said rescue crews battled waves up to 2.5 meters (8 feet) and strong currents and winds, which delayed early recovery attempts. Weather conditions have since improved, allowing teams to expand their efforts.
A team of at least 54 personnel, including members of the navy, police, and local search and rescue services, has been deployed. Several inflatable rescue boats were launched, with a larger support vessel dispatched from Surabaya to bolster the operation.
Ferry accidents are not uncommon in Indonesia, an archipelagic nation of over 17,000 islands, where lax safety standards, overcrowding, and unpredictable weather often pose serious risks to maritime travel.
As families await news of their loved ones, the nation once again confronts the urgent need for stricter maritime safety measures and disaster preparedness across its extensive ferry network.
