There were dramatic scenes off the southeast coast of Bali on Wednesday when a tourist boat carrying dozens of passengers capsized near Nusa Lembongan.
The vessel, known as The Tanis, had just departed Lembongan Village around 4.30pm local time with 89 people on board – 77 foreigners and 12 Indonesian nationals – when it was struck by a wave from behind and began taking on water.
Eyewitnesses rushed to assist as the vessel tilted, causing passengers to slip into the sea. A large-scale rescue effort was launched immediately, and by 6.30pm all passengers had been safely evacuated, with authorities confirming there were no fatalities or serious injuries.
Divers were later deployed to search the sunken boat and surrounding seabed as a precaution, ensuring no one had been left behind.
Footage of the incident was shared by @bali.info.official, who reported that the boat was still relatively new, having only been in operation for about three months. According to their post, the boat was offloading passengers from Gili at Mushroom Bay, with its bow resting onshore, when powerful waves began to strike its stern.
“The captain made the decision to move the boat back out to sea,” the post explained, “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.”
Despite the chaos, locals and nearby responders coordinated to recover both passengers and their belongings. “A heartfelt thank you to everyone who helped rescue the passengers and recover their belongings,” the post concluded.
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Most of the rescued tourists opted to remain in Nusa Lembongan for the night, while only two chose to continue their journey to Sanur Harbor– the original destination of The Tanis, which has a total capacity of 125 passengers.
Images: Instagram
