Search for 29 missing ferry passengers suspended

Indonesian authorities deployed navy ships and helicopters on Friday in the intensified search for 29 people still missing almost two days after a ferry sank near the tourist island of Bali.

- 

But the search was later suspended because of poor visibility.

More than 160 rescuers including police and soldiers were involved in the search that resumed after being halted overnight because of poor visibility, said Ribut Eko Suyatno, the deputy chief of operations at the National Search and Rescue Agency.

Three helicopters and a thermal drone had been involved in the search by air over the Bali Strait, while about 20 vessels and fishing boats were mobilized for the sea search, Suyatno said.

As weather forecasts predict high waves and rough waters around the Bali Strait on Friday, he said at least three navy ships had been deployed.