Alive: 8 adults and two children adrift at sea for a month

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Some of the rescued passengers on the fishing vessel on Monday after they were rescued. – Pictures supplied

Alive: 8 adults and two children adrift at sea for a month

PORT MORESBY: Ten people, including two children, miraculously survived a month’s adrift in the open sea after their boat’s engine stalled.

Thanks to the limited food ration aboard, they endured the ordeal until a fishing boat vessel crew rescued them on Monday (Jan 24, 2022).

The boat owner’s son Negai Toliken said the boat, Milesiaro, left Namatanai for Tanga Island on Dec 23.

Details of the miraculous survival were published by The National:



Passengers rescued after a month adrift at sea

January 26, 2022The NationalNational

The 10 passengers in their boat on Monday. They were rescued by crew members of the fishing vessel Teraaka on Monday. – Pictures supplied

By GEORGINA KOREI
TEN passengers including two children who were missing at sea for a month have been rescued by the crew members of a fishing vessel.
Negai Toliken, the son of the boat owner, told The National that the boat Milesiaro left Namatanai for Tanga Island on Thursday, Dec 23.
When it did not reach its destination, Toliken said they suspected it might have encountered problems.
“The skipper last contacted us at 5.52am on Dec 25 giving his position as 3km north-east of Boang Island,” he said.
A search was mounted on Dec 26 around the Tanga group of islands.
On Dec 28, Toliken said they received information that the boat was sighted drifting south-west of Nissan to Buka by the skipper of a boat travelling from Buka to Nissan.

Some of the rescued passengers on the fishing vessel on Monday after they were rescued. – Pictures supplied

He said the skipper noticed passengers but did not want to rescue them as he was afraid it could be a pirate boat.
Toliken said they called off the search on Jan 2.
Meanwhile, former police officer Roland Funmat from Taonsip village on Boeng Island in the Tanga group of islands said the skipper of the vessel was experienced and had been travelling from Namatanai to Tanga many times.
He said the boat had engine problems and drifted at sea for a month.
“The skipper of the boat is experienced and the boat is equipped with emergency necessities like water containers, canvas and fishing lines,” he said.
Funmat said the 10 people were now on the fishing vessel Teraaka in the Solomon Sea.

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