JEMBRANA, Bali, Indonesia (Bernama-ANTARA): A fisherman in Bali found a body of woman on Saturday, believed to be one of 18 victims still missing at sea after Tunu Pratama Jaya ferry sank in Indonesia’s Bali Strait, on July 2, reported ANTARA News Agency.
The deceased was recovered by Adi Presetyo from the waters about four kilometers away from the shore of Pengambengan Village, Negara Subdistrict, Jembrana District, Bali, a local government official said.
Rescue team then evacuated the deceased to a command post in Pabuahan Hamlet, Banyubiru Village, Negara Subdistrict, Acting Head of the Jembrana Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) I Putu Agus Artana Putra said.
"The recovered body had been transported to the Blambangan Public Hospital in Banyuwangi District, East Java, for identification," he said.
Putra added that the Pabuahan fishermen had recovered several bodies of the sunken vessel’s passengers while out fishing in the aftermath of the ferry mishap.
Meanwhile, Indonesia’s National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) extended the search operation for humanitarian reasons from Saturday, July 12, to Monday, July 14. This followed an earlier three-day extension, which ended on July 11.
Deputy for Search and Rescue Operations and Preparedness at the agency, Ribut Eko Suyanto, said earlier that his office would reevaluate whether another extension of the search period is necessary later.
As of Friday evening, the 10th day of search operations, the death toll from the ferry mishap stood at 17, with 30 survivors and 18 people still missing.
The Tunu Pratama Jaya roll-on/roll-off ferry was carrying 53 passengers, 12 crew members, and 22 vehicles when it departed Ketapang Port in Banyuwangi, East Java, at 10.56 pm local time on July 2, 2025.
The vessel sank en route to Gilimanuk Port in Bali at around 11.35 pm local time on the same day.
In response to the tragedy, President Prabowo Subianto has directed all relevant government agencies to leave no stone unturned in rescuing the remaining passengers and crew of the ill-fated ferry. - Bernama-ANTARA
