Ferry Vanishes in Rough Seas, Race Against Time: 30+ Missing After Vanuatu Ferry Goes Down, Search Intensifies for Survivors
MV Matui sank in rough seas between Santo and Ambae. Fifteen people are alive, one body has recovered, and authorities are investigating possible overloading and ignoring marine warnings.
VANUATU — September 13, 2026
A desperate search is underway off Vanuatu after the inter-island ferry MV Matui sank in rough seas, leaving at least one person dead and more than 30 missing, according to the office of Prime Minister Jotham Napat.
The vessel was carrying 34 passengers and 11 crew — 45 people in total — when it went down on Friday while travelling between Santo and Ambae in northern Vanuatu. Fifteen people have so far been accounted for alive, while one body has recovered.
The disaster has triggered a widening rescue operation involving local boats, aircraft and international assistance as rescuers race against time and ocean currents.
Search Area Moves Toward Vanuatu’s Coast
After searching open waters, authorities are shifting the operation toward the southeastern coastline, where currents may have carried survivors or debris.
The Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in New Caledonia is assisting, while a French Armed Forces aircraft has also been deployed to support the search.
Local communities have been urged to watch their coastlines for possible survivors.
The search has already produced dramatic rescues. Local rescuers and aircraft have helped locate people in the water, while at least one survivor reportedly reached shore on Santo and was taken to safety.
Weather, Warnings and Possible Overloading Under Investigation
The circumstances surrounding the sinking are now becoming a central focus.
The office of Prime Minister Jotham Napat said the loss appears to have involved strong winds and marine warnings that were not heeded, while also raising the possibility of negligence and overloading.
Those allegations have not yet been established as the definitive cause of the disaster.
Vanuatu authorities are investigating the circumstances surrounding the voyage, including questions about the vessel’s loading and whether maritime safety warnings were properly followed. The Vanuatu Maritime Safety Authority, police and the ferry operator, Tui Shipping Agency, had not immediately responded to Reuters’ requests for comment.
A Race Against the Pacific
For families waiting for news, the search has become a race against distance, weather and currents.
Vanuatu is a Pacific island nation roughly 1,750 kilometers east of Australia, where sea transport is an essential link between communities spread across the archipelago.
The disappearance of the MV Matui has therefore become more than a single maritime accident: it has exposed the enormous logistical challenge of finding survivors across open Pacific waters.
As daylight and currents reshape the search zone, rescuers are now concentrating on areas where people may have drifted toward land.
Fifteen have survived. One is confirmed dead. More than 30 remain missing.
And the search is not over.
