2 infants among survivors

By SYLVESTER WEMURU
TWO infants were among a group of people who survived when the boat they were in capsized near Bilbil Island in Madang yesterday.
Provincial police commander acting Supt Mazuc Rubiang said two people, a man and a woman, had died and their bodies were taken to Modilon Hospital by police officers who responded to the incident.
He said police were alerted of the incident and went to Bilbil Island and confirmed the incident.
They helped transport the victims and the bodies of the deceased back to Madang.
Supt Rubiang said the two who died were identified as Susan Moris, from Sialum, Morobe, and Jonah Riggie, from Kainantu, Eastern Highlands.
He said the survivors were assisted by locals before police arrived.
Supt Rubiang warned small boats in operating in Madang waters to be safety conscious and take note of seas and weather conditions when travelling out as well as having adequate fuel and safety equipment on board.
“I want small craft operators to carefully monitor the sea and the weather before going out in the sea,” he said.
“Many lives have been lost during this time of the year in the past and we all must not risk our lives to travel during such times because the sea is rough during this time of the year.”
Supt Rubiang said people who wanted to travel must listen carefully to weather reports on the radio or they could call the weather service to find out if it was safe to travel.
He said it was best to travel on larger boats such as passenger ferries operating routes between Wewak to Madang or from one province to another because of the distance.
Supt Rubiang said boats travelling from Rai Coast to Madang needed to monitor the weather before going out to open sea.