• Six people confirmed dead and about 30 missing after a ferry sank near Bali.
• Rescue efforts have so far saved 29 individuals from the water.
• The KMP Tunu Pratama Jaya ferry was carrying 65 people when it sank in bad weather.
• Rescuers face challenging sea conditions with waves over 2 meters high.
• The search involves helicopters and numerous vessels, with increased manpower deployed.

Indonesian authorities confirmed that at least six people have died while about 30 others remain missing after the KMP Tunu Pratama Jaya ferry sank shortly after leaving Ketapang Port in East Java on Wednesday night. The ferry was en route to Bali's Gilimanuk Port, carrying a total of 65 individuals — 53 passengers and 12 crew members — when it met with disaster about 30 minutes into its journey due to bad weather, which was cited as a cause for the sinking, according to officials from the National Search and Rescue Agency, BASARNAS, and local news agencies Channel News Asia, South China Morning Post, and Reuters.

The search and rescue teams have so far rescued 29 individuals while the bodies of six victims, including that of a three-year-old boy, were recovered. Authorities have reported that challenging conditions, including strong currents and waves reaching up to 2.5 meters high, hindered search efforts, although these conditions improved as operations continued into Friday. Rescuers are utilizing multiple assets, including ships and helicopters, to expand their search area along the coastlines of eastern Java and Bali, as reported by Le Monde, NPR, and Reuters.

Eyewitness accounts suggest that the ferry started to tilt rapidly before capsizing, which indicates possible mechanical failure among the craft's systems. The operation's main focus is the search within the water, where many victims have been reported drifting, while authorities investigate the incident further. Tragedies like this highlight the persistent safety issues in Indonesia's maritime transport system, which often relies on ferries, according to reports from The Independent, The Jakarta Post, and Reuters.