Survivors return after 31 days

The Bougainvillian survivors at Jackson International Airport in Port Moresby last week. They were met by protocol officer consul affairs Casey Pokichong (second from left) upon their arrival. – Picture supplied

SIX Bougainvillians, a nine-year-old boy among them, who drifted at sea on a 23-foot banana boat for 31 days and found in Kiribati waters on Feb 26, have returned home.
“We are very grateful in this particular case for our relations with the government of the People’s Republic of China and the Chinese embassy for their efforts through their monitoring systems, and for the prompt communication for the rescue,” Foreign Affairs Minister Justin Tkatchenko said in a statement yesterday.
“I was able to personally convey the news of this rescue to the immediate families on the day they were found.
“Additionally, we salute and thank the crew of the fishing vessel, The Lometo, for their part in the month-long search and rescue, and for their care and rehabilitation efforts towards the survivors,” Tkatchenko said.
The Lometo discovered the missing boat in the Kiribati waters.
The boat, that had departed Lihir Island bound for Buka, had run out of fuel, causing it to drift for over a month.
The survivors, including the nine-year-old boy, were found aboard the boat, and taken on board by the crew of The Lometo.
The journey of the boat started on Jan 27, when it departed Lihir Island. Dropping off a passenger at Anir Island en route to Buka, the boat failed to reach its destination, prompting concern from the owner, Bartholomew Sareke, of Lontis village in the Haku Constituency of Buka.
Sareke reported the incident to the Bougainville Disaster Office and Emergency Directorate, which initiated search efforts in collaboration with the PNG Maritime Rescue Coordinating Centre.
It was revealed that two persons onboard were unable to survive the tough ordeal at sea. Despite the challenges posed by bad weather, relentless search efforts led to the eventual discovery and rescue of the survivors by The Lometo.
Out of the eight passengers who travelled from Anir Island, the six rescued were Nason Koesana (48), Stanis Logan (41), Bensley Kaskas (35), Max Ben (9), Raynard Raiasok (25) and Liddy Birigin Kenehata (25). They were rescued and returned to PNG on March 20.
Tkatchenko thanked the Chinese government through its embassy in Port Moresby, the Kiribati government, the Fiji High Commission in Port Moresby, National Disaster Centre, National Coordination Office of Bougainville Affairs, Bougainville Disaster and Emergency Directorate, National Maritime and Safety Authority, the Department of Foreign Affairs and its overseas mission in Suva, Fiji.