Two people escaped death narrowly after a cargo boat they were in capsized at Tusitiri area in Wiyoni, Lamu island, on Sunday evening.
However, tens of bags of groceries and other supplies they were ferrying from a depot in Mokowe on the mainland to the Lamu municipal market, sank during the 7pm accident.
The survivors, Omar Komora the coxswain and his loader Peter Kamau, were able to swim to safety.
Lamu county senior enforcement officer Swabir Abdulrazak said the boat, christened Msenangu, was overloaded and speeding at the time of accident.
The Tusitiri area is considered a blackspot as it continues to record the highest number of accidents and deaths in the region.
While leading a team of rescuers to try and recover the lost cargo, Abdulrazak urged boat operators to be cautious when navigating through the areas to avert further accidents and loss of life.
He urged the Kenya Maritime Authority to erect navigation signs in the areas to guide boat operators.
“The boat was loaded with sacks of groceries and was headed to Lamu island. It obviously sank due to the heavy load it was carrying. No deaths. Two survivors swam to safety and we are glad. We haven’t been successful in retrieving the lost cargo but we shall keep trying,” he said.
He urged sailors to adhere to all maritime rules to avert accidents and deaths.
The same boat was in the news on April 17 this year, after it capsized for the same reasons and in the same area leading to the death of one person while two others were rescued by local divers.
Much of Lamu's transport is by water with the region having a boat population of over 5,000 vessels.
-Edited by SKanyara
