• No bodies have been recovered after accident in 'death spot'
• Two others rescued by divers shortly after the accident are admitted at hospital.
Image: CHETI PRAXIDES
Two people whose boat capsized at the notorious 'death spot' Mlango wa Pate channel on Sunday morning haven’t been found.
Two other people who were rescued by divers shortly after the accident are admitted at the Lamu King Fahad Hospital.
Chances of the two being found alive are growing slimmer by the day considering that the location is the site of many accidents.
The two were transporting building materials in a dhow that is suspected to have been overloaded.
The rescue efforts have been mounted by the Kenya Marine Police, Kenya Maritime Authority and local divers.
Lamu county commissioner Joseph Kanyiri yesterday said Sunday’s search had to be called off due to strong tides and darkness. The search team was, however, dispatched early yesterday morning.
The search is bound to extend to Mkanda channel, metres from Mlango wa Pate.
The two are among channels listed as 'extremely fatal' and characterised by powerful tides that have left many dead.
Most of the time, bodies are never recovered.
These channels pose a serious challenge to navigation; in extreme situations, travellers have had to postpone their journeys to calmer days
Sailors and fishermen have appealed for the establishment of a Marine Rescue Unit. Many deaths occur due to lack of timely response and prompt searches.
The worst accident happened on August 13, 2017, when ODM politician Shekue Kahale lost 12 of his family members, including his four children and wife. Their boat capsized due to strong tides at the Mkanda channel.
Only the politician made it to safety after hours of swimming.
Last year in June, a fisherman perished after his boat capsized at Manda Maweni in Lamu.
Three fishermen who were reported missing after their boat capsized in Ndau village in Lamu East have never been found to date.
Another deadly accident was on June 20, 2017, when 10 people perished at the Mkanda channel.
Their boat had left Lamu town for Ndau village in Lamu East.
On October 9, 2017, four people who had been reported missing at sea were found alive by search team mounted by the Kenya Red Cross Society and KMA.
Their boat had been overpowered and swept downstream by heavy tides at Manda Bruno area forcing them to spend the night at sea.
They were found at Dodori, kilometres away.
(Edited by R.Wamochie)