Philip Muyanga and Abdulrahman Sheriff
29 September 2008
Nairobi — Thirty eight fishermen have been rescued after their ship was damaged in a freak accident near Lamu Island.
The chairman of Usivawe Speedboats Operators, Mr Kassim Hassan Bakari, said the vessel, Golden Wave, was on a fishing mission when it hit a rock in the sea on Sunday.
Mr Bakari said they went to the scene with two speedboats and rescued the fishermen, some of whom were found struggling to repair cracks on the vessel.
Repaired
"When we reached the scene, we helped the fishermen, some of whom had already dived into the sea, fearing that the boat would sink," said Mr Bakari.
After the cracks were repaired, the fishermen decided to continue with their journey to Mombasa except for 13 who opted to use road transport.
The chairman denied claims by the police that the ship was involved in an accident at Kiwayuu Island near the Somalia border.
"The ship was involved in an accident some few miles from Shella and there was no presence of police," said Mr Bakari.
Speaking to the Nation, Lamu head of police John Kamau said they had not received any reports of deaths and injuries as a result of the accident.
He said two police boats had been dispatched to the scene of the accident, contrary to residents' claims that there were no officers.
To rescue
Mkomani councillor Omar Mackenzie asked why Kenya Ports Authority motorboats at the Lamu seafront could not be used to rescue the fishermen.
He said that time had come for the Government to put up life-saving equipment in Lamu to help in rescue operations should an accident occur.
All the fishermen on the Mombasa-vessel were Kenyans.
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