Vanuatu ends search for 37 people missing in ferry sinking

Authorities have called off the search for survivors after a ferry sank off Vanuatu, leaving 39 people presumed deadWELLINGTON, New Zealand -- A search has ended for those missing after a passenger ferry sank in rough seas off the coast of Vanuatu, with 39 people believed dead, an official told The Associated Press on Friday. No more people have been pulled from the water since last weekend, when 14 survivors and two bodies were found. The ferry MV Matui was traveling between the islands of Santo and Ambae with 53 people on board when it sank Sept. 11, a deputy commissioner of Vanuatu’s Maritime Safety Authority Lloyd M. Fikiasi told the AP. The sinking wasn't reported for a full day, officials said this week, and the number of people on board was unclear for several days. Some earlier registered as missing were found not to have travelled on the boat, Fikiasi said. While two bodies were recovered last weekend, the search at sea ended Thursday with 37 still missing. The authority this week laid criminal complaints with the police about the owners of Tui Shipping, the company's management and the ferry's master, for breaches of maritime law, local news outlets reported. Vanuatu's Da...