The RSIPF once again reminds members of the public to check on the weather including the situation with the sea when travelling between the islands especially on outboard motor canoes.
This reminder follows the successful rescue of 10 passengers including one child from a ray boat that sank in rough seas while travelling from the Shortland Islands to Gizo in the Western Province earlier yesterday 14 August 2017. The boat and the 90 horsepower engine were lost.
The ray boat was one of four boats travelling from Harapa Village in the Shortlands after a church gathering. Another of the ray boats found the sinking boat and rescued all the passengers and took them back to Nila in the Shortlands. Another boat with nine people on board also turned back to Nila because of the rough seas.
Only one of the four boats with eight people on board reached Gizo safely.
“We are very lucky that no lives were lost in this incident. Members of the public travelling between our islands especially on board the outboard motor canoes must check the weather including the state of the seas before embarking on your trip. We must take into consideration the weather forecasts issued every day by our Meteorological Services. We cannot continue to risk lives just because we want to rush to our destination,” says Provincial Police Commander, Western Province, Mathias Lenialu