• Survived in the boat on water only each day.
• As days went by, some died and were thrown into the ocean.
Seven Comoros family members died while eight were rescued on Monday by fishermen in Watamu after surviving in the Indian Ocean waters for 22 days.
Eight Comorans were rescued on Monday by fishermen in Watamu after surviving in the Indian Ocean waters for 22 days.
The fishermen on Tuesday morning spotted an engine boat tied with a white piece of cloth. It was floating but not working and had eight unconscious occupants. It later emerged that seven others, who had been in their company, did not survive the harsh weather.
The fishermen alerted Kenya Navy soldiers who quickly intervened, rescued the victims and took them to Watamu dispensary before rushing them to Malindi Subcounty Hospital.
They were found in a bad state, dehydrated, hungry and weak as they had been surviving without food.
Watamu residents reportedly donated clothes to cover them. They were dehydrated and exhausted and only one of them could talk but in Comoros language.
The KDF soldiers mobilised a team of doctors who rushed to the Malindi Subcounty Hospital and together with the local health officials attended to them as other military officials got translators to be able to communicate with them and their relatives.
The health officials set aside one chamber specifically for the Comorans, some of whom were still in critical condition due to fatigue. They were given water, milk, and tea.
It is said the Comorans—including two women, one of whom was pregnant—were sailing from Nzuani Island to Mayotte Island, a journey that should have taken them a day.
Translator Nassir Abubakar Ali, a Majengo Malindi resident who speaks the Comoros language, said sailors' boat developed mechanical problems and was later hit and pushed farther by strong tides.
They told Ali, who was called by the soldiers to the hospital, that they got lost after being hit by the strong tides.
“Unfortunately, seven of them died and eight remained alive," Ali translated.
The Navy officials talked to some of the relatives of the rescued Comorans but others had yet to be reached. They said those who died were thrown into the Ocean.
They were found with travelling bags, an indication they were not on a fishing expedition. Comoros comprises four islands and movement from one island to the other is strictly by boat.
A report filed by KCGS Senior Sergeant Duncan Achiki said the boat was towed to Watamu BMU.
“It was established that the boat was transporting 15 family members from one island to another island in Comoros and it was swept by strong winds and the engine swept to the Kenyan waters. In the process, seven passengers died and they were thrown into the sea but eight male persons survived,” the report says.
Kenya Coast Guards in Ngomeni were informed of the incident by Watamu Beach Management Unit chairman Osman Mwambire, who received information from the fishermen.
Image: ALPHONCE GARI
Image: ALPHONCE GARI
Image: ALPHONCE GARI