GILIMANUK, Indonesia — Rescuers were searching Thursday for 29 people who were missing after a ferry sank and five people died the previous night near Indonesia's resort island of Bali.
As of Thursday afternoon, 31 people had been rescued from the ferry's 53 passengers and 12 crew members, the National Search and Rescue Agency said in a statement.
''The condition of this ship is fully submerged, so there is a possibility that there are people inside the ferry. But right now we are focusing on the surface of the water first,'' Surabaya Search and Rescue head Nanang Sigit said.
The five bodies located by rescuers will be taken to their families in Banyuwangi, Sigit said.
The KMP Tunu Pratama Jaya sank almost half an hour after leaving Ketapang port in the East Java town of Banyuwangi late Wednesday for a trip of about 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) to Bali's Gilimanuk port, authorities said.
A helicopter and 15 boats searched for survivors with assistance from fishermen and people onshore.
Weather was a significant factor in the search effort. Strong waves up to 2 meters (6.5 feet) high and darkness hampered emergency responders overnight. While conditions improved Thursday morning, Indonesia's Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency indicated waves reached up to 2.5 meters (8.2 feet) with strong currents and winds Thursday afternoon.
''For today's search we are focusing on searching on the water, as the initial victims were found in the water between the location of the accident toward Gilimanuk port,'' Sigit said in a statement Thursday morning.