Vanuatu ferry sinking leaves more than 30 missing as search shifts to coastline

Search operations continued off the coast of Vanuatu on Monday for more than 30 people still unaccounted for after a passenger ferry sank late last week, officials said.

The vessel, the MV Matui, was carrying 47 people when it went down on Friday while travelling between the islands of Ambae and Santo, according to local news reports. Searchers in boats pulled 15 survivors from the water over the weekend, and one body has been recovered, a statement from the prime minister's office said on Sunday.

With more than 30 people still missing, the search is now being redirected towards a stretch of coastline where currents may have carried survivors, rather than the open sea.

The statement attributed the sinking to strong winds and marine warnings that were not heeded, and pointed to possible negligence, including overloading of the vessel. The country's meteorological service had issued a marine warning for strong winds and high seas on the day the ferry set sail.

Vanuatu is an archipelago of 83 islands in the South Pacific Ocean, situated roughly 1,750 km (1,090 miles) east of northern Australia.