Ferry sinks near Papua New Guinea A ferry carrying around 350 people has sunk off the coast of Papua New Guinea. Australia's Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) says a huge rescue operation has saved over 200 so far, and is still ongoing. It's reported that the Rabaul Queen, a 47 metre ship, sank quickly 16km from the country's north coast, and didn't give a distress signal. Any survivors are being plucked from the water. Papua New Guinea's Prime Minister Peter O'Neill said the cause of the disaster remains a mystery: The cause of the incident is yet to be confirmed. We have now dispatched close to four vessels and a helicopter within the area, so that they can rescue the survivors and those who had been affected by this disaster," he said.More about: Accident, Australia, Papua New Guinea, Shipwrecks