Rescuers are seen returning from a search mission for survivours from a traditional boat which capsized off Sanur beach on Indonesia's resort island of Bali.

Hopes were fading Thursday for 14 traditional musicians missing after a boat sank off Indonesia's resort island of Bali, with 11 people already confirmed dead in the accident.

A group of 36 Balinese musicians was travelling on an inter-island boat late on Tuesday after performing at a burial ceremony. Eleven people were found dead and the remaining passengers were rescued alive.

"It has been two days since they went missing. The chance to find them alive is pretty slim. I hope there is a miracle," Bali search and rescue agency head I Ketut Parwa told AFP.

He said a search operation was ongoing on Thursday, with a helicopter and nine ships including vessels from the navy and maritime police.

The Indonesian archipelago of more than 17,000 islands has a poor sea safety record, and fatal accidents are common.

Up to 335 people were killed when a heavily overloaded ferry sank off Sulawesi island in January last year.