Banyuwangi, E Java (ANTARA) - As of Friday evening, 30 people on board the Tunu Pratama Jaya ferry—which capsized in rough waters off Bali Island on Wednesday evening—had been confirmed alive, while 29 others remained missing.
The death toll from the ferry accident stood at six, according to National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) Deputy for Search and Rescue Operations and Preparedness, Ribut Eko Suyanto.
Regarding the 30th survivor, Suyanto said he was identified as Wahyudi, also known as Sinyo, after the SAR agency thoroughly verified that Wahyudi and Tri Wahyudi are two different individuals who both survived the accident.
“But Wahyudi, alias Sinyo, went straight home without reporting to the SAR team,” he said, adding that on Saturday the SAR team would continue search operations by air and sea to locate the missing.
During Friday’s search efforts, rescuers encountered wave heights of 2.5 meters, strong winds, and visibility of only three kilometers in the waters around Bali Island, he said.
Air and sea searches focused on the northern Ketapang–Gilimanuk route and the southern area off Bali Island, he added.
Wahyu Setia Budi, coordinator of the Banyuwangi SAR agency, earlier reported that the Tunu Pratama Jaya roll-on/roll-off vessel was carrying 53 passengers, 12 crew members, and 22 cars.
The vessel departed Ketapang Port in Banyuwangi District, East Java, for Bali’s Gilimanuk Port on Wednesday at 10:56p.m. local time and reportedly sank at 11:35p.m.
In response to the tragedy, President Prabowo Subianto has instructed all relevant government agencies to make their utmost efforts to rescue all passengers and crew members of the ill-fated vessel.
