One dead, more than 30 missing after Vanuatu ferry sinks, PM’s office says

Rescuers continue searching for survivors as the government scales back operations in open waters.

Gravestones sit submerged in water on Pele Island, Vanuatu, a country heavily affected by rising seas, on July 18, 2025 [File: Annika Hammerschlag/AP]

At least one person has died and more than 30 remain missing after a ferry sank off the coast of Vanuatu, Prime Minister Jotham Napat’s office has said in a statement.

The MV Matui, an inter-island ferry, sank in bad weather on Friday while sailing between the islands of Ambae and Santo, in Vanuatu’s north, according to New Zealand’s public broadcaster RNZ.

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Of the dozens of crew members and passengers on board, 15 have been accounted for alive, Napat’s office said in a statement posted on Facebook, with search and rescue operations continuing.

The Pacific nation’s government said search efforts “in open waters” were being scaled back “whilst efforts move toward a search along the south-east coast, where currents may have carried survivors”.

It said the sinking “appears to be the result of strong winds and marine warnings not being heeded, and possibly of negligence including overloading of the vessel”, adding that a full investigation would follow to establish the facts and prevent a repeat.

Vanuatu police, the country’s Maritime Safety Authority and the ferry’s operator, Tui Shipping Agency, did not immediately respond to requests for comment, the Reuters news agency reported.

随着政府缩减在公海的救援行动，救援人员仍在继续搜寻幸存者。

2025年7月18日，在受海平面上升影响严重的瓦努阿图佩莱岛上，墓碑被淹没在水中。[图片：Annika Hammerschlag/AP]

瓦努阿图总理乔瑟姆·纳帕特的办公室在一份声明中表示，一艘渡轮在瓦努阿图海岸附近沉没，造成至少一人死亡，30多人失踪。

据新西兰公共广播公司 RNZ 报道，一艘名为 MV Matui 的岛际渡轮周五在瓦努阿图北部安巴岛和圣埃斯皮里图岛之间航行时，遭遇恶劣天气沉没。

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纳帕特办公室在Facebook上发表声明称，机上数十名船员和乘客中，已有15人获救，搜救行动仍在继续。

这个太平洋岛国的政府表示，“在公海”的搜寻工作正在缩减，“同时搜寻工作转向东南沿海地区，那里的洋流可能将幸存者带到了那里”。

声明称，沉船事件“似乎是由于强风和未听从海上警告，以及可能存在疏忽（包括船舶超载）造成的”，并补充说，将进行全面调查以查明事实并防止再次发生。

据路透社报道，瓦努阿图警方、该国海事安全局和渡轮运营商Tui航运公司均未立即回应置评请求。