Search for 9 abandoned

 THE Milne Bay provincial administration and disaster office have called off the search for nine people still missing, presumed dead, at sea after a boat capsized in the province’s northern coast waters.

Provincial administrator Michael Kape said the search was called off on Wednesday after 12 days because they did not spot anyone. 

Of the group of 13 that struck tragedy at sea, three were rescued after drifting for about 12 hours and one was found dead. The group included six school-aged children. “Despite the intensive search and hours put into the search covering the of Goschen Strait and Goodenough Bay waters and coastlines, there was no sighting of the nine missing people,” Kape said.

“The provincial administration together with the immediate families of the missing people have agreed to conclude the search.

“All the nine missing people are presumed dead,”  Kape said. 

A 60 horsepowered 23ft dinghy left Waleta Point on West Fergusson at  noon on July 17 for Awaiama on the northern mainland coast. 

This is usually a two-hour trip. 

On board were 13 people, six primary school-aged children and seven adults.

The travellers met bad weather and their outboard motor was swamped and the dinghy capsized about 7km  from Girumia Point at about 2pm. “The weather was bad, a strong wind warning was in force, south-east winds at 25 to 30 knots with gusts and waves of 2.5 to 3m, plus visibility was poor,” Kape said of the conditions that day.

He said the disaster centre was alerted  at 2am on Saturday by three survivors who had drifted for 12 hours in the  rough sea before being rescued by a fisherman close to the shore. 

Later that morning, at 8am, another dinghy travelling along the same route recovered the body of an adult male, and took it to the Garuahi Health Centre.