During the Christmas holiday period it is common for PNG Islanders to travel between the Islands by boat visiting extended family. Sadly, one such visit ended in tragedy when the canoe capsized and eight crew members died. Only four were rescued 32 days later.

Published 5 years ago

Thirty two days stranded at sea is tough enough for most people, but when eight of your family members have died and just four of you remain surviving off coconuts floating in the sea, this becomes a story of incredible human endurance.

The group of 12, including a baby, were journeying from Bougainville Island, east of the mainland of Papua New Guinea, to the Carteret Islands which lie approx. 100 km away. They left on 22 December, 2019 in time to arrive for Christmas celebrations.

Tragically, however, en-route their canoe (powered by an outboard) capsized and some of the group drowned. The remainder managed to right the canoe, empty it of sea water and survive until they were picked up 32 days later off New Caledonia by a local fishing boat – an incredible 2,000 km from where they set off.

The survivors reported that during their month at sea they saw a number of fishing boats but were unable to signal for help. They survived on collected rainwater and coconuts that floated past.

Officials in the search and rescue division of the Solomon Islands Maritime Authority said incidents like this one were unfortunately common, particularly around the Christmas holidays as people traveled between islands. They said weather patterns and failure to properly check fuel supplies contributed to such tragedies.

Related Links:

• Marine Industry News: Eight dead and four rescued after 32 days adrift in South Pacific
• The Guardian: Tragedy at sea

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Noonsite has not independently verified this information.