More than 200 people have been rescued from the ocean after a ferry carrying about 350 passengers sank off Papua New Guinea's north-eastern coast in rough weather early on Thursday, officials said.
PNG's National Maritime Safety Authority (NMSA) said between 198 and 219 people had been rescued so far by six international merchant ships directed to the site of the accident by Australian maritime authorities.
Meanwhile, Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) reported that 219 people had been rescued from the ocean by the six merchant vessels directed to the accident site. The agency added that the rescued were currently on board the merchant vessels.
The remaining passengers are still missing. Currently, eight ships and three helicopters are involved in the search and rescue operations. Three Australian planes are expected to join the mission shortly.
Earlier in the day, the AMSA, which is helping in the search and rescue operations, had confirmed that 'MV Rabaul Queen' sank approximately 9.9 miles off Finschhafen, some 50 miles from its final destination of Lae.
The vessel had gone missing earlier in the day when it was sailing between the island of New Britain and the north-cost town of Lae. Ferry operator Star Ships said it lost contact with the vessel early on Thursday.
Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard has described the incident as a "major tragedy" and expressed fears that the death toll from the mishap was likely to be high. "We have been asked to provide assistance to PNG and we are providing assistance to PNG," she added.
For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com
Political News
June 12, 2026 17:14 ET Major central bank action was the focus this week in economic news. The European Central Bank became the first major central bank to move in response to the rising inflationary pressures in the backdrop of the conflict in the Middle East. In North America, the U.S. inflation and trade data as well as Canada’s central bank decision gained attention. The Chinese trade data was the main news in Asia.