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• 2 min de lectura
At least one person has been confirmed dead and more than 30 remain missing after a ferry sank off the coast of Vanuatu, according to a statement from the office of Prime Minister Jotham Napat. Search and rescue operations are continuing in the Pacific island nation, located approximately 1,750 km east of Australia, after the MV Matui capsized with dozens of crew and passengers on board, the news report published on Facebook stated. Search efforts have been underway since the inter-island ferry sank on Friday due to bad weather between the islands of Ambae and Santo, New Zealand's public broadcaster RNZ reported. Napat's office noted that the search "in open waters is being scaled back as efforts shift to a sweep along the southeast coast, where currents may have carried survivors." "This loss appears to be the result of strong winds and failure to heed maritime warnings, and possibly negligence, including overloading of the vessel," the statement indicated. "To the survivors, we pray for your strength and recovery. To the families of the missing and those we have lost, know that the nation stands with you in this time of grief," it added, noting that an investigation will be conducted. Matai Seremaiah, the representative for the Luganville area in the Vanuatu parliament, said that rescue efforts began after a crew member of the MV Matui swam to shore and raised the alarm. "He alerted us that the ship had capsized and we went out to search," Seremaiah said in comments broadcast by RNZ. Vanuatu police, the Vanuatu Maritime Safety Authority, and the ferry operator, Tui Shipping Agency, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
