Vanuatu PM Cancels UN Trip After MV Matui Sinking; Ship Was Overcrowded

Vanuatu's prime minister cancelled his trip to the United Nations General Assembly this week, staying in the country as questions mounted over the sinking of the MV Matui ferry and how the departure was allowed to proceed.

PM Jotham Napat said publicly that valid questions were being asked that demanded answers. Two people have confirmed dead. Thirty or more remain missing after the ferry capsized on Friday off Vanuatu's coast. Fifteen people survived.

The Vanuatu Daily Post reported the ship was certified to carry no more than 30 passengers but had 47 people aboard when it departed Santo on the morning of September 12. The vessel also left without notifying the Vanuatu Maritime Safety Authority, according to reporting from the Daily Post.

Napat signed an order on Sunday transferring responsibility for the VMSA from the Ministry of Fisheries, Ocean and Maritime Affairs directly into the Prime Minister's Office.

French Armed Forces aircraft joined the search over the weekend. Rescuers were focusing on the southeastern coastline as of Sunday, where currents were believed to have carried any remaining survivors or remains.

Vanuatu's government acknowledged the disaster could have been minimized or avoided had the responsible authorities been alert and up to the task, according to Napat's public statement.

When MV Matui sank on Friday with 45 people aboard, a 30-plus-hour gap before help arrived had already drawn scrutiny.