Milne Bay group found in Siassi after a week at sea

By Angela Paul
SEVEN people who had been adrift at sea for seven days after their vessel ran out of fuel have been found.
The seven from Iwa in the Trobriand Islands of Milne Bay were found at Siassi in Morobe, according to provincial coordinator for disaster and emergency Steven Tobessa.
Tobessa said the six men and a woman ended up at Umboi, the biggest island in the Siassi group of islands.
“They were travelling to Kitava in the Trobriand Islands when they ran out of fuel,” he said.
“They went to Umboi on Friday last week.
“A relative of a National Maritime Safety Authority (NMSA) officer who is one of the survivors reported to the NMSA in Alotau that they were missing.
“The NMSA then reported the matter to the provincial disaster and emergency.
“Other details like how they survived at sea are yet to be confirmed because the (communication) network coverage on the island they are on is not that good.
“The weather had been bad for the past two weeks and I’ve been warning small craft operators on the radio but they seem to be ignorant.”
Tobessa said a lot of warnings had also been given out by the National Weather Service and the NMSA through mobile phones and radio.
He said his office was seeking K20,000 from the provincial government to transport the seven back to Milne Bay.
The plan is to transport them by sea to Lae where they can catch a flight to Alotau.
Tobessa said the vessel was stuck on a reef so would probably be left there.