Passengers aboard the KMP Tunu Jaya Pratama shared harrowing accounts of the ferry’s sudden capsizing while crossing the Bali Strait on the night of Wednesday, July 2. The vessel sank within mere minutes, leaving little time for escape.
One survivor, Bejo Santoso, recounted how the ship rocked violently three times before flipping over. “About three minutes after the first tilt, the boat was completely overturned. I managed to jump off in time,” Bejo said at Gilimanuk Port, Jembrana Regency, on Thursday, July 3, 2025.
As the ferry listed drastically, Bejo and several other passengers leapt into the sea. Fortuitously, Bejo found a life jacket onboard and put it on immediately. “I fear those trapped inside the cabins didn’t stand a chance because the boat capsized so quickly,” the Banyuwangi resident explained.
Bejo drifted in the water through the night, surrounded by deceased passengers. To prevent their bodies from sinking, he tied them to a life ring. Around 6 a.m., a fishing boat arrived to rescue the survivors stranded at sea.
Another passenger, Imron from Banyuwangi, described the disaster unfolding after water flooded the passenger compartment. “The ship tilted three times; on the third tilt, seawater poured into the passenger area,” he recalled. Imron escaped by being pushed upward through a gap in the cabin and only found a life jacket once he was in the water. That jacket kept him afloat until fishermen from Dusun Pabuahan, Banyubiru Village, came to his rescue.
Similarly, Saiful Munir survived by grabbing a life jacket floating in the sea. “I didn’t know where the jacket came from, but I put it on immediately,” he said.
As of 11:30 a.m. local time, 30 passengers have been accounted for, with four confirmed fatalities. The sudden tragedy serves as a stark reminder of the unpredictable dangers at sea.
