Seven Comoros sailors died while eight were rescued today by fishermen in Watamu after surviving in the Indian Ocean waters for 22 days. Those who survived were rescued today afternoon by fishermen who spotted their small engine boat tied with a white piece of cloth floating as the engine was not working. The fishermen alerted Kenya Navy soldiers who quickly intervened and managed to rescue them to Watamu dispensary before rushing them to Malindi Sub County hospital. Reports indicate that they were found in a bad state, dehydrated, hungry and very weak as they have been surviving without food for 22 days only depending on water. Locals in Watamu reportedly donated clothes and water to cover their ‘half’ naked bodies that were dehydrated as most of them could barely talk. Only one of them could talk but in Comoros language only. The KDF soldiers mobilized a team of their doctors who rushed at the Malindi Sub County hospital and together with the local health officials managed to attend to them as other military officials got translators to be able to communicate with them and their relatives in their country.
When journalists arrived at the Malindi Sub County hospital KDF officers were busy treating them with the help of nurses at the male ward. The health officials set aside one ward chamber specifically for the foreigners who were in bad conditions. Some of them were still in critical condition due to fatigue while some could wake up a little bit and got back to deep sleep. Their bodies looked very weak and exhausted. they were given water, milk, and tea as the Kenya Navy medical personnel attended to them. It is alleged that the sailors were 22 in number including two women one expectant and were sailing from Nzuani Island to Mayotte Island a journey which could have taken them a day. The translator Nassir Abubakar Ali a resident of Majengo Malindi who knows the Comoros language said while in their journey their engine developed mechanical problems and later the boat was hit by strong tide and pushed far.
Speaking at the hospital Ali said he was called by Kenya Navy soldiers to come and translate for them the language being spoken by the Comoros sailors who had been rescued. He said upon speaking to them he established that on the fateful day the Comoros nationals got lost after being hit by the strong tide. “Unfortunately, seven of them died and eight remained alive, Navy called me to assist in translating and we have cooperated well with them including getting us contacts to call their relatives in Comoros and France,’ he said. Ali said the Kenya Navy officials talked to some of the relatives of the rescued sailors but some were yet to get details of their kins. He said some are yet to regain consciousness but those who spoke said after the incident those who died were being thrown in the Ocean and by the time, they were being rescued only eight were alive.
The translator said they were found with bags which indicates that they are not fishermen but sailors who were moving from one island to another. Comoros is a country composed of four Islands and movement from the different islands is strictly by boat. Ali said the same way people from Malindi take a bus from Malindi to Mombasa and from Mombasa to Nairobi up to Kisumu is the same way the Comoros use boats to reach one city to another. Based on the dates 22 days ago the sailors got lost due to the rough tides of the Ocean as the weather conditions were very harsh in July. Medical personnel from Malindi Sub County hospital are expected to brief the media later in the day about the progress of the rescued Comoros sailors and how they are responding to treatment. A report seen by journalists indicated that Kenya coast guards in Ngomeni got a report through Watamu Beach Management Unit Chairman Osman Mwambire that at around 8 am he got a report from fisherment who had gone fishing North Kenya bank that they came across a boat which was floating at the sea without an engine and had eight occupants who were unconscious. The report filed by KCGS Senior Sergeant Duncan Achiki to the Hadquarters said the boat was towed to Watamu BMU and the eight unconscious passengers rushed to Malindi sub county hospital where they are undergoing treatment