WELLINGTON, New Zealand: A ferry that sank earlier this month while sailing between two islands in the remote Pacific nation of Kiribati had been ordered not to carry passengers because of earlier damage, the government said Wednesday.
About 80 people are missing, although the government has not confirmed the exact number. A New Zealand military plane using radar found a small wooden dinghy on Sunday that was carrying seven survivors who told rescuers the ferry sank.
Kiribati, which has about 108,000 people, declared a week of prayer as the search for more survivors continued. The US and Australia have joined New Zealand in the search, as have several fishing boats in the area.
Government spokesman Tearinibeia Enoo-Teabo said maritime authorities had ordered the MV Butiraoi, a 17.5-meter (57-foot) wooden catamaran, not to carry any passengers before it left because it had sustained serious damage to its navigational system, rudders and hull. It was unclear whether any repairs had been made.
He said investigators are going to the island to find out more about the passenger count and why the ferry left despite the orders.
Other questions remain, including why it took Kiribati authorities so long to tell New Zealand officials the ferry was missing.
The ferry left Nonouti Island bound for South Tarawa on Jan. 18, according to authorities, a journey, which was supposed to take two days. New Zealand rescuers said they were not told about the missing boat until Friday, eight days after the ferry had left.
Enoo-Teabo said they believe at least 80 passengers and five crewmembers were aboard.
New Zealand’s Rescue Coordination Center said they are continuing to search for a more substantial life raft that may have been launched from the sinking ferry and which was designed to carry 25 people.
The seven survivors told rescuers they had drifted for four days in the blazing sun and had no water. They were found more than 180 kilometers (112 miles) from the nearest major island.
The crew of the Orion plane dropped supplies to the survivors and then a fishing boat picked them up. They have since transferred to a Kiribati marine patrol with a doctor aboard. New Zealand authorities identified the survivors as three men, three women, and a 14-year-old girl. All are described as being in reasonable health.
Ferry that sank in Pacific was ordered not to carry people
Ferry that sank in Pacific was ordered not to carry people
Floods ravage Minas Gerais, killing 36 as rescuers race to find dozens missing
- Minas Gerais’s fire department said 33 people were still missing and about 3,000 residents had been forced to leave their homes
- 600 families living in endangered areas were about to be relocated to local schools improvised as shelters
JUIZ DE FORA, Brazil: Dozens are still missing in southeastern Brazil on Wednesday after floods killed at least 36 people in the state of Minas Gerais, officials said Wednesday. Rescue teams worked through the night, as heavy rain is expected in the region in the next few days.
All the victims found so far are in the cities of Juiz de Fora and Uba, about 310 kilometers (192 miles) north of Rio de Janeiro.
Minas Gerais’s fire department said 33 people were still missing and about 3,000 residents had been forced to leave their homes as of Wednesday morning.
The streets of Juiz de Fora, a city of 560,000 residents, were covered in mud as authorities feared more landslides. Life in neighboring Uba, with its 107,000 residents, came to a stop. Classes were suspended in both cities, their mayors said.
Juiz de Fora’s City Hall said in a statement that around 600 families living in endangered areas were about to be relocated to local schools improvised as shelters and that the city experienced double the rain expected for February. Mayor Margarida Salomão said at least 20 landslides had been reported since the torrential rain began Monday evening.
On Tuesday, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said on his social media channels that security forces have been deployed on rescue missions and are providing immediate assistance to the population affected by the rain. He also said health care teams had been sent to the region, which lies close to hills, valleys and slopes.
