Rescuers were hunting Thursday for 30 people who went missing after a ferry capsized and four people died the night before on Indonesia’s tourist island of Bali. According to a statement issued by the National Search and Rescue Agency on Thursday afternoon, 31 persons have been recovered from the ferry’s 53 passengers and 12 staff.
The KMP Tunu Pratama Jaya sunk about half an hour after departing Ketapang port in Banyuwangi, East Java, late Wednesday for a 50-kilometer (30-mile) cruise to Bali’s Gilimanuk port, according to police.
A helicopter and nine vessels, including two tugboats and two inflatable boats, searched for survivors with the help of fishermen and residents on shore. Strong waves up to 2 meters (6.5 feet) high and darkness impeded rescue responders overnight, but an official said improving weather and sea conditions Thursday morning aided the search operation.
“For today’s search, we are focussing on the water, as the first victims were discovered in the water between the accident site and Gilimanuk port,” Surabaya Search and Rescue chief Nanang Sigit said in a statement.
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