(Reuters)
JAKARTA, July 14 – Indonesian rescuers on Monday scaled down a search for 17 people still missing after a ferry sank near the island of Bali earlier this month, an official said.
The ferry, KMP Tunu Pratama Jaya, was carrying 65 people when it sank almost 30 minutes after leaving East Java province’s Banyuwangi port to Bali on July 3.
As of Monday afternoon, 18 people were confirmed dead with 30 survivors, Ribut Eko Suyatno, an official at Indonesia’s search and rescue agency, told Reuters.
All passengers were Indonesian except for one Malaysian who was among the fatalities, local media reported.
The national-level search, which lasted for around two weeks and involved around 500 people, including rescuers, police, and military personnel, was officially called off on Monday.
A provincial-level team will continue to search for the missing people for the next seven days, Suyatno said.
“After today, the East Java search agency will search for the missing. Around 100 personnel will be involved,” Suyatno said.
The rescuers over the weekend located the wreck of KMP Tunu Pratama Jaya which was also carrying 22 vehicles.
Officials are now preparing to recover the wreck, Suyatno added.
Based on the preliminary reports by Indonesia’s Transportation Safety Committee, the ferry sank because seawater entered the engine room after its door opened, local media reported.
The ferry began tilting and then sinking, the committee said, adding that it was still investigating the main cause of the incident.
