The boat was transporting 15 family members from one island to another in Comoros
NAIROBI, Aug 11 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Seven people from Comoros died and eight others were rescued in the Indian Ocean near Kenya on Monday.
The victims and survivors were found after their vessel drifted many kilometres to the Kenyan shore because of strong waves.
The survivors, who are recuperating at a Malindi hospital, were rescued by local fishermen on Monday evening.
Kenya Coast Guard said the group was found unconscious in a damaged boat at the Northern Kenyan bank before it was towed to the shores around 6 pm.
“I received a report from fishermen who had gone fishing at the North Kenya bank that they came across a boat which was floating at sea without an engine and it had 8 passengers who were unconscious. The boat was towed to Watamu,” read a section of the signal by KCG from Lamu BMU chairperson Osman Mwambire.
It was established that the boat was transporting 15 family members from one island to another in Comoros and it was swept away by a strong wind. In the process, the engine dropped into the sea.
It was not immediately established how long the survivors stayed in the ocean.
One of the survivors, Mahmoud Hassan, who was able to talk, but with difficulties, confirmed that all the survivors are of Comoros origin.
The Comoro Islands form an archipelago of volcanic islands situated off the southeastern coast of Africa and is composed of the islands of Anjouan, Moheli, and Grande Comore. — NNN-AGENCIES
