7 Feb 2012

Anger in PNG after losses in shipping disaster

3:41 pm on 7 February 2012

Families of victims of last week's shipping disaster in Papua New Guinea are demanding answers from the vessel's operator.

The apparently overloaded Rabaul Queen sank between Kimbe and Lae early last Thursday, with about 100 people thought to have lost their lives.

246 people were rescued.

Our correspondent says people want answers from the Rabaul Shipping Company.

Oseah Philemon says there is widespread anger and one key demand is that the company tell survivors what it will do about the possessions they lost in the sinking.

"People have lost all their belongings. If they were carrying any bit of money with them on the ship that would have been lost when they were in the water and they're left with absolutely nothing, except the wet clothes they were in when they were picked up by rescuers."