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| Ferry sinks off Papua New Guinea | |
| (40 minutes later) | |
| A ferry carrying an estimated 300 passengers has sunk off the north coast of Papua New Guinea, officials have confirmed. | |
| A PNG official told the BBC that at least 28 people had been rescued and four rescue boats were at the scene. | |
| The MV Rabaul Queen, operated by PNG company Star Ships, was travelling between the towns of Kimbe and Lae. | |
| It sent out a distress signal in the early hours of Thursday. | |
| Captain Nurur Rahman, of Papua New Guinea's National Maritime Safety Authority, told the BBC that he had reports of people floating in life jackets where the boat sank. | |
| "So far I have news that 28 survivors have been picked up on one of the vessels," he said. | |
| Prime Minister Julia Gillard told reporters that Australia was assisting PNG in rescue operations. | |
| A Star Ships spokesman told Associated France Presse that "bad weather" was believed to have sunk the ship. | |
| "(There are) survivors. At the moment rescuers from Australia are at the site. No fatalities have been reported yet," the spokesman said. | "(There are) survivors. At the moment rescuers from Australia are at the site. No fatalities have been reported yet," the spokesman said. |
| Star Ships is one of PNG's biggest ship operators. | Star Ships is one of PNG's biggest ship operators. |