(AP) Port Moresby – An airplane from Australia, three helicopters and eight ships scoured the area after the MV Rabaul Queen went down while traveling from Kimbe on the island of New Britain to the coastal city of Lae on the main island, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority said.
The ferry sank 50 miles (80 kilometers) east of Lae, the South Pacific country’s second-largest city, and 10 miles (16 kilometers) from shore, it said in a statement.
Australian Broadcasting Corp. quoted police in Kimbe as saying that most of the passengers were students and trainee teachers.