S/Leone: Rescue effort ends for capsize boat

  1. Posted on Saturday 12 September 2009 - 10:30
    Murtala
    Image of Murtala
    Murtala Kamara Mohammed, AfricaNews reporter in Freetown, Sierra Leone
    Sierra Leone Police has announced that a joint rescue effort which started on Wednesday in a bid to save passengers from a wooden boat with an inscription Tehteh which capsize with over two hundred passengers has ended. Tehteh left Morforce warf, Shenge late on Tuesday heading for Tombo a fishing community in the outskirt of Freetown.
    Sierra Leone map
    Two hundred and fifty one passengers were recorded in the boat manifest excluding children according to the Sierra Leone Police but the number is believed to be close to 300. Most of the passengers onboard are women and school children who were on their way to Freetown from a holiday in that part of the country.

    An official attached to the Sierra Leone Office of National Security told AfricaNews on Thursday that bad weather and overloading was the main cause of the accident. Following the tragic accident the Navy Branch of the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces in collaboration with the United Nation Peace Building Office in Sierra Leone formed search parties on board a helicopter and boats to find survivors. Forty two passengers were earlier rescued but latest report reaching AfricaNews stated that four had died last night at the hospital whiles the remaining cannot be accounted for.

    Accidents like this one is not often in Sierra Leone, almost all wooden fishing and passenger boats failed to get life jackets onboard in the case of accidents.

    Philip S.J Lukuley Executive Director for the Sierra Leone Maritime Administration (SLMA) failed to talk to AfricaNews when contacted at his Government Warf office to get an interview on the dreadful incident. The SLMA is tasked with the responsibility of monitoring; prevent accidents in the high sea, and providing life gear for all boats and the registration of shipping companies. Lukuley said his department and the Transport and Aviation ministry will soon issue a statement and that this reporter should go to the ministry of Transport.

    Manley, a 30 years old teacher who is situated in waterloo far east of the capital Freetown said he lost a total of 7 of his close family members including his two children. The terrified man who was in uncontrollable tears said “it will be difficult for me to recover from the shock soon.”

    Days after the accident, an official statement from Government is yet to come out.

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