Tourists spend time at a beach in Canggu, Bali, Indonesia, 01 July 2025. The Indonesia Central Agency of Statistics recorded nearly 1.31 million foreign tourist arrivals in May 2025, an increase of almost 14.01 percent compared to the same period in 2024. EPA/MADE NAGI he KMP Tunu Pratama Jaya sank almost half an hour after leaving East Java province's Banyuwangi port on its way to Bali late on Wednesday, the agency said on Thursday.
The boat was carrying 53 passengers and 12 crew members, as well as 22 vehicles, the agency said.
A search for the missing is underway although it is being hampered by strong currents and winds, the agency added.
Ferries are a common mode of transport in Indonesia, an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands, and accidents are common as lax safety standards often allow vessels to be overloaded without adequate life-saving equipment.
A small ferry capsized in 2023 near Indonesia's Sulawesi island, killing at least 15 people.
(Reporting by Stanley Widianto in Jakarta and Gnaneshwar Rajan in Bengaluru; Editing by Stephen Coates)