Schoolgirl among 5 missing

A SCHOOLGIRL is among five people from Siassi Island, Tewai-Siassi in Morobe missing at sea since they tried to cross rough seas in the Vitiaz Strait between mainland Morobe and Siassi on June 2.
This was the second such sea mishap after 12 people, also from Siassi Island, went missing on Feb 11 and to this date, none of them has been found.
Siassi local level government ward six councillor Michael Senat said he was supposed to travel in the boat but decided not to because of the weather did not look promising.
Senat, who spoke from Lablab station, confirmed passengers on the boat were the officer in charge of the Semo Health Centre Ezekiel Tali and his brother, another health worker, the boat skipper and his crew.
“They stayed overnight at Dregerhafen in Finschhafen and around 6am left for the island with a grade 11 schoolgirl from Dregerhafen Secondary School, who had withdrawn from studies,” Senat said.
He said he asked the skipper if he was confident about crossing the Vitiaz Strait.
According to Senat, six people plus a 200-litre drum of fuel, two vehicle tyres, some spare parts for the Semo Health Centre truck were on the boat.
Asked if bodies or the boat and its cargo had been recovered, Senat told The National that the body of a girl was found at Bagbag Island in Madang on June 6.
He said that was the only body found so far.
He confirmed the girl was identified through an armband that she wore and her family were now arranging for the repatriation of her body home.
Senat said the mishap was most likely due to bad weather and rough seas and not piracy.
He called on the provincial and national governments to make travel to the island safer for people.