The KMP Tunu Pratama Jaya ferry sank around 11:20 PM on 2/7, half an hour after leaving port, in the Bali Strait while traveling from Java to Bali. The ferry was carrying 53 passengers and 12 crew members, along with 22 vehicles, according to Indonesia's Surabaya search and rescue agency.

The KMP Tunu Pratama Jaya ferry (in red) at port. Photo: Merahputih

The KMP Tunu Pratama Jaya ferry (in red) at port. Photo: Merahputih

Rescuers have recovered two bodies and saved 20 people, many of whom were unconscious after hours adrift in rough seas, said Banyuwangi police chief Rama Samtama Putra of East Java province.

Authorities are searching for the missing in waves up to two meters high.

Maritime accidents are common in Indonesia, an archipelago of about 17,000 islands, partly due to lax safety standards. In March, a boat carrying 16 people capsized in rough seas off Bali, killing an Australian woman and injuring at least one other person.

In 2018, more than 150 people died when a ferry sank in one of the world's deepest lakes on Sumatra island.

Huyen Le (AFP, AP)