Search and Rescue Agency of Indonesia said that four people were killed, 38 people are missing and 23 people survived when a ferry with 65 passengers sank in the vicinity of the Indonesian island Bali.

The KMP Tunu Pratama Jaya, which was on its way from East Java's Banyuwangi Port to Bali on late Wednesday night, sank about 30 minutes after it left the port.

According to the agency, the boat carried 53 passengers, 12 crew members and 22 vehicles.

The search for missing persons is ongoing, but is being hindered by strong winds and currents.

In Indonesia, a country with more than 17,000 islands and a large archipelago, ferry travel is a popular mode of transportation. Accidents are frequent because lax safety regulations allow boats to be loaded too high without the necessary life-saving equipment.

At least 15 people will die in 2023 when a small ferry capsizes near Indonesia's Sulawesi Island. (Reporting from Stanley Widianto, Jakarta; Gnaneshwarrajan, Bengaluru. Editing by Stephen Coates).

(source: Reuters)