Ferry runs aground off Bali, Indonesia; all on board rescued

The Indonesian Navy and other partner agencies have rescued all 76 passengers of a Ro-Pax ferry shortly after it ran aground on a coral reef near Indonesia's resort island of Bali over the weekend.

The incident involving the ferry Gerbang Samudra 2 occurred at around 05:00 local time on Sunday, June 22, when strong currents caused it to drift and become stranded on a reef approximately 100 metres from the Gilimanuk Ferry Terminal in West Bali.

Another ferry that was also in the area had attempted to tow the stranded vessel so that it can be refloated, but the effort proved unsuccessful.

The navy and the Gilimanuk Port Authority then deployed rescuers aboard two boats to render assistance. All 76 of Gerbang Samudra 2's passengers were safely evacuated following an operation that lasted six and a half hours.

The grounded ferry was eventually refloated. It was then towed to Gilimanuk Port, arriving there at around 08:15 on Monday, June 23.

Officials said the incident did not result in any serious injuries.

Sunday's incident is the second one involving a passenger vessel to occur in the waters off Bali province in less than a month.

On June 4, a tour boat carrying 89 passengers capsized just as it was about to depart Nusa Lembongan island. Local media said all of the passengers, 77 of whom were foreign nationals, were safely rescued without serious injuries.