One dead and more than 30 missing after Vanuatu ferry sinks
Search efforts are shifting towards the south-east coast after the MV Matui sank in bad weather while travelling between Ambae and Santo.
At least one person has died and more than 30 remain missing after the inter-island ferry MV Matui sank in bad weather in northern Vanuatu, the office of Prime Minister Jotham Napat said.
Fifteen people have been accounted for alive, according to the Prime Minister’s office. Search-and-rescue operations are continuing, although the government is scaling back efforts in open waters.
Authorities are moving the search towards Vanuatu’s south-east coast, where currents may have carried survivors. The total number of people aboard has not been stated precisely.
The Prime Minister’s office said the sinking may have involved strong winds, marine warnings allegedly not being heeded and possible negligence, including overloading. Those factors have not been established as fact.
A full investigation is planned. Vanuatu police, the Maritime Safety Authority and the ferry’s operator, Tui Shipping Agency, had not immediately responded to requests for comment, according to Reuters.
