Missing Kiribati ferry

In Kiribati, the ferry MV Butiraoi, carrying 88 passengers, disappeared after leaving Nonouti island on Jan. 18 on its way to Betio island, normally a 2-day trip. On Jan. 28, eight people in a dinghy from the ship were spotted by a New Zealand search plane and rescued by a fishing ship.

On Feb. 2, search and rescue efforts were halted, with the remaining 80 missing people assumed dead, making it the deadliest single event in Kiribati history. As of press time, no cause of the disappearance of the Butiraoi, a 57-foot wooden catamaran with a maximum occupancy of 25, was known.