JAKARTA– Six people were killed, as a passenger ship, with dozens of people on board, went down in waters off Bali Island yesterday, and the evacuation has been under way, a rescuer and a senior police officer said.
The ship, Yunicee, with 41 passengers and 15 crew members aboard, sank before reaching its destination, off Gilimanuk seaport in Bali, last night, head of Operation Affairs of Search and Rescue Office in East Java Province I, Wayan Suyatna, said.
“We got information about the accident at 7:06 p.m. local time, and our personnel immediately headed to the scene,” he said, citing that, the ship departed from Ketapang seaport, in nearby East Java province.
Unfavourable weather conditions were believed to be the cause of the accident. “The waves were very high. The weather was very bad during the accident in the evening,” said Suyatna.
“Six people were killed, including three males and three females,” head of the Jembrana district police in Gilimanuk, Bali, Ketut Gede Adi Wibawa, said.
The bodies of the victims were brought to a nearby health clinic, the police officer said.
So far 44 people have been rescued safely and six are still missing, said Ketut.
Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK