Teachers and students among 12 missing at sea

By JIMMY KALEBE
THREE primary school teachers and four students are among 12 people who went missing at sea between Sialum and Siassi Island on Monday in the Tewai-Siassi district of Morobe.
Three children aged 10 to 14 years were in the company of the missing group in the Vitiaz Strait.
The skipper of another boat that returned safely to shore at Wandokai village in Sialum, John Soten, reported that five boats had travelled together but when faced with rough and high seas, they soon lost sight of each other.
He said while returning to safety, the one that went missing developed engine problems and must have been drifting out to sea.
He could not predict what had happened next as they could not locate each other. Soten said the four boats that made it safely to shore were at Keregia and Wandokai villages in Sialum.
District administration at Finschhafen is taking care of those at Sialum with water, food and other necessities.
Finschhafen chief executive officer Glen Kiso confirmed that they had distributed food stuff and other relief assistance to the passengers of boats at Keregia and Wandokai on Wednesday.
Siassi local level government disaster coordinator Frank Kobak yesterday issued warning to people not to travel on small boats at moment.
“The sea is still rough and this is normal as the winds will go through till the end of the month,” Kobak said.
The 12 went missing after Finchhafen warned earlier.