Two missing in Madang boating mishap

The five passengers after receiving treatment at the Ramu Nickel Basamuk refinery clinic (Image: Ramu Nickel)

Two men are still missing at sea following a boating accident in Madang waters early Saturday morning.

The incident occurred between Madang and Raikos, near Tabalip Point, where a 40-horsepower banana boat capsized in rough seas and strong winds.

The boat reportedly left Siar Village at around 6:00 am carrying seven passengers, including one woman, and was transporting 30 bags of betelnut bound for Kimbe in West New Britain. All the betelnut bags and passengers’ belongings were lost when the boat overturned.

The surviving passengers were found floating in the sea at about 3:00 pm by a passing passenger boat and were taken to Basamuk. However, the boat owner and the skipper were missing.

Police from Mobile Squad 13, who are deployed at the Basamuk Refinery, were alerted and transported the survivors to the company clinic for medical checks and treatment.

Madang Provincial Police Commander, Superintendent Robert Baim, described the incident as a case of pure negligence.

"How many times are we going to warn seafarers against travelling in bad weather. We have been experiencing strong winds in the last couple of days, and warnings have been sent out by the National Weather Service for people to take heed of. These people have been very ignorant and, as a result, ran into this problem," Baim said.

One of the men who sustained injuries during the mishap (Image: Ramu Nickel)

Superintendent Baim said most small crafts operating in the province are not equipped with safety gears, and when they encounter such problems out in the open sea, passengers' chances of surviving are quite slim.

"Even the water police unit is ill-equipped, and my officers risk their own lives in some of the search and rescue operations, especially during strong winds and rough seas.

"I am once again asking people wishing to travel by boat to Raikos, Karkar, Manam, Bagabag, Long Island or out to the other provinces like Manus, Morobe, West New Britain and East Sepik, to be very careful. Make sure to have the necessary safety gears onboard like life jackets, lights or torch, and enough water and food.

"Avoid overloading as well," PPC Baim stressed.

The five survivors being attended to by health workers at the Ramu Nickel clinic at Bsamuk Refinery on Saturday (Image: Ramu Nickel)

He said police will not be able to respond to every incident at sea, and it is the responsibility of boat owners, skippers, and passengers to take full responsibility for their safety while travelling on the water.