Rescuers have been searching for 11 people who are still missing after a passenger ferry sank off the coast of Bali Indonesia in rough seas, killing at least 7, authorities announced on Wednesday, June 30.
Dozens of survivors were pulled from the sea Tuesday evening after the ferryboat KMP Yunicee, carrying 57 passengers and crew (41 passengers, 13 crew, 3 canteen waiters) went down close to Port Gilimanuk (at Bali island's western end). It had been sailing across a narrow strait from Java Island.
KMP Yunice sank nearly half an hour after leaving Ketapang port in East Java late Tuesday, Bali Search & Rescue Agency chief Gede Darmada revealed. The ferry was bound for Gilimanuk, a 50-km (30-mi) sailing.
2 tugboats and 2 inflatable speedboats have been searching for the missing since Tuesday night, battling waves up to 13 ft (4 m) high in the darkness. The rescue was hampered by high waves and low visibility.
However, 11 people remained missing while authorities confirmed they had pulled 7 dead from the waters.
It is unclear what caused the accident.
Ferry tragedies are common in Indonesia, where ferries are often used as transport, and safety regulations lapse.