A ferry carrying around 350 people has sunk off the coast of Papua New Guinea.
Australia’s Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) says a huge rescue operation has saved over 200 so far, and is still ongoing.
It’s reported that the Rabaul Queen, a 47 metre ship, sank quickly 16km from the country’s north coast, and didn’t give a distress signal. Any survivors are being plucked from the water.
Papua New Guinea’s Prime Minister Peter O’Neill said the cause of the disaster remains a mystery:
“The cause of the incident is yet to be confirmed. We have now dispatched close to four vessels and a helicopter within the area, so that they can rescue the survivors and those who had been affected by this disaster,” he said.
More about: Accident, Australia, Papua New Guinea, ShipwrecksCopyright © 2012 euronews
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