A ferry that was traveling between two islands of the Kiribati nation and carried more than 50 people sank in the Pacific waters. This Sunday, 6 adults and one unconscious baby were rescued as they were drifting on a wooden dinghy.
A military plane spotted the survivors drifting
Orion, a New Zeland Air Force military plane, was already sent to search and pinpoint for any possible survivor. As the military plane was ready to call off, the plane’s radar spotted the survivors. The plane’s pilots found the 7 rescued people drifting on a dinghy, dehydrated and hungry. The militaries dropped food and water supplies and a radio station.
Survivors told that when the ferry started to sink, they managed to get off it and climbed into the dinghy. Panicated by the events, they found themselves drifting on the dinghy under the burning sun, with no water, food, and paddles. However, they found a tarpaulin and a blanket which they used to protect themselves from the sun. They said they were drifting for the last four days.
It took 6 days for Kiribati’s authorities to announce New Zeland’s authorities
Commodore Darryn Webb who leads the rescue mission said that no other survivor has been found, at this moment.
However, he can’t understand why Kiribati’s authorities didn’t announce New Zeland’s officials sooner, as the 57-foot ferry, which left from Nonouti Island on January 18th, should’ve reached its destination of January 21st, at the latest.
According to these pieces of information, authorities aren’t excluding the possibility that the 7 rescued survivors spent more than 4 days on the sea without noticing that due to dehydration and panic.
The first clues indicated a problem at the ferry’s propeller shaft, as it underwent repairs a few hours before leaving.
Now, all the attention goes to the unconscious baby as everybody hopes he will recover soon.
