Video: Tourist boat carrying 89 passengers capsizes in Bali
Sequence shows Bali boat capsize, courtesy of footage shared by Denpasarviralcom.
A tourist boat, Tanis, has capsized in Bali with 89 passengers and crew onboard. Initial police reports suggest that a large wave hit the stern, causing the boat to lose balance. There were no fatalities, and local police reported that everyone was rescued.
The ordeal was captured on film.
“I started panicking,” Lauren Dague, a passenger, told NBC News. She says that everyone was, and that passengers were screaming. Dague, on the lower level, was desperate to get out.
“I just was like… screw this,” she says. “I just smashed my foot through the window and broke the window, and I was able to save, at least I think, five or six other people. Everyone was panicking. There were babies, small children, old people, people like me travelling by themselves.”
Tanis was hit by a strong wave as the anchor was released from Tanjung Sanghyang Port, reports local outlet the Bali Sun. The crew had dropped off a full contingent of passengers and was boarding its next tourists.
But, when the anchor was pulled, it coincided with the boat being hit by a huge wave. While there are varying reports, it seems that Tanis’ captain chose to move further from shore, but the water ingress caused the vessel to overturn. Initiall,y tourists tried to jump back onto the dock as the boat started to sink. Some, Like Dague, broke windows on the lower level, some jumped into the water, and some clung to the hull.
“The Tanis Boat with the destination of Lembongan-Sanur Port consists of four ABK (crew) and one captain carrying 89 passengers,” said Agus Widiono of the Klungkung Police after the incident occurred on 4 June.
“Aboard the Tanis at the time of the incident, there were 77 international tourists and 12 Indonesian tourists. Local residents and staff from Tanjung Sanghyang Port also jumped into action to help the passengers out of the water and to jump off the sinking ship,” Widiono continues.
Tanis is now being treated as a crime scene. Widiono says officers are still doing an in-depth study of this incident.
Bali.Info.Official (an independent community page) reports via Instagram that ‘the fast boat’ has a total capacity of 125 passengers. It says the boat was in very good condition, as it has only been in operation for about three months. “The boat was docked with its front touching the shore. Suddenly, large waves repeatedly struck the back of the boat, causing a significant amount of water to flood inside. The captain made the decision to move the boat back out to sea, but because the boat was already filled with water, it became unstable. The panic among passengers made the situation worse, causing the boat to tilt and eventually sink.”
One commentator adds: “I was there … they were boarding 100s of passengers from the front of the boat, telling them to go further down to the back of the boat, which caused the boat to be too heavy at the back and fill with water when trying to leave Mushroom Bay. Even though everyone was shouting at them to stop and turn back to shore, they continued to head out to sea. Instead, they used buckets to try and empty the water from the back and continue outwards. It was horrendous to witness.”
It’s a relief everyone survived, but the captain’s decision seems questionable given the sudden wave and capsizing. Regard Teknologi Telekomunikasi