Vanuatu Ends Search for 37 Missing in Ferry Sinking

Authorities have ended the search for survivors after a passenger ferry sank off the coast of Vanuatu, with 39 people now presumed dead. No additional individuals have been recovered from the water since last weekend, when 14 survivors and two bodies were found.

The ferry, identified as MV Matui, was en route between the islands of Santo and Ambae with 53 people aboard when it sank on September 11. Officials stated that the sinking was not reported for a full day, and the exact number of individuals on board remained unclear for several days. Some people initially reported missing were later confirmed not to have been on the vessel.

The search at sea concluded on Thursday, with 37 people still unaccounted for. The Vanuatu Maritime Safety Authority has filed criminal complaints with the police against the owners of Tui Shipping, the company's management, and the ferry's master for alleged breaches of maritime law. Local news outlets reported that the vessel was not authorized to carry passengers and that inspectors had warned the company about overloading personnel and cargo the day before the sinking.

“This loss appears to be the result of strong winds and marine warnings not being heeded, and possibly of negligence including overloading of the vessel,” Prime Minister Jotham Napat said on Sunday. The country's meteorological service had issued a marine warning for strong winds and high seas on the day the ferry departed.

Prime Minister Napat visited survivors and bereaved families on Santo and Ambae on Friday, urging calm and promising an independent investigation into the incident. He had previously canceled a scheduled trip to the U.N. General Assembly in New York to address the disaster. A national memorial service is planned for September 27.