Bali Island, Indonesia - At least nine people were killed when a small ferry sank in poor weather off Indonesia's resort island of Bali, police and a survivor said Thursday.

The captain of the ship, who survived the accident, said the vessel was hit hit by high waves about 15 minutes after it left Kusamba port in Bali on Wednesday.

"The waves were so big they broke the front deck of the ship," said Kadek Geriya.

Local police chief Moch Yudi Hartanto said 13 people were rescued from the sea but some people might still be missing.

"We suspect that the actual number of passengers were higher than that in the manifest," he said.

Indonesia, the world's largest archipelagic nation, has seen several major ferry disasters in recent years partly attributed to the lax enforcement of safety regulations.