Bad weather has forced rescuers to temporarily halt the search for survivors of the Bali ferry sinking with has killed at least six people.
The KMP Tunu Pratama Jaya sank 30 minutes after leaving Banyuwangi late on Wednesday for a trip of about five kilometres to Bali’s Gilimanuk port, authorities said.
Already 29 people have been rescued from the ferry’s 53 passengers and 12 crew members, the National Search and Rescue Agency said in a statement.
The rescuers called off the search on Thursday night (local time) due to a “visibility problem”, according to Nanang Sigit, the head of East Java rescue agency, in a statement to Reuters.
He said the operation would resume today (Friday) with more than 160 rescuers including police and military personnel.
“The condition of this ship is fully submerged, so there is a possibility that there are people inside the ferry,” he added.
The passengers were all Indonesian, the transport ministry said.
An investigation into the cause of the accident has already begun with survivors telling rescuers there appeared to be a leak in the engine room of the ferry, which was carrying 22 vehicles including 14 trucks.
Many of those rescued were unconscious after drifting in choppy waters for hours. Survivors were taken to nearby medical facilities including Jembrana Regional Hospital in Bali.
