Alive: 8 adults and two children adrift at sea for a month
News that matter in Papua New Guinea
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
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.
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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