Indonesia rescuers search for survivors after ferry sinks near Bali

Rescuers were searching Thursday for 32 people missing after a ferry sank the previous night near Indonesia’s resort island of Bali.

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.

Relatives wait for updates on the search operation after a ferry sank off the Indonesian resort island of Bali, on Thursday.STR / AFP via Getty ImagesThe 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.