More than 100 missing passengers were feared trapped inside an overloaded ferry when it sank off Papua New Guinea, a maritime official said yesterday as rescuers scoured the ocean for more survivors.
So far, 246 people have been plucked to safety in a joint rescue operation conducted by PNG and neighbouring Australia after the MV Rabaul Queen sank on Thursday morning.
Australia's Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) said the ship went down about nine nautical miles off the coast and the survivors reached the eastern town of Lae in the early hours of yesterday morning.
"Updated reports from the five rescue vessels indicate there were approximately 246 survivors recovered on Thursday," AMSA said.