. . . .claim MV Rabaul
Queen was over-loaded
By HAIVETA KIVIA
“We thought we had swam away from death but under
the Mol Summer, we were also fighting for our survival, the sea was very rough
and the wind was very strong and the height of ship complicated things further
but thanks to God Almighty, we made it.”
This were the words of Ezekiel Sauba, a survivor of the MV Rabaul Queen disaster off the coast of Finschhafen in Morobe Province last Thursday.
Ezekiel, traumatised by his ordeal, was among the first group on a life raft that reached the Mol Summer, an international merchant ship that responded to the distress call from MV Rabaul Queen.
Ezekiel said three men, a Bougainvillean, an East Sepik and an East New Briton perished under the hull of the merchant ship as they were sucked in by the seas and the pressure exerted by the hull of the ship and chopped up by the propellers right in front of their eyes. He said he and the other survivors were also sucked in but they pushed hard against the hull to get clear and failed twice to get on before successfully clamering on board on the third attempt.
Third year University of Goroka student Elijah Tobata, fellow UOG student Livingstone Mundawi, Agib Gimunda, Joe Baiari and Manu Sui and a lone young woman were in that group.
Elijah said MV Rabaul Queen sank around at 12 midday after the international merchant ships started rescuing them.
“They were so big and maneuvering to collect us in the sea. It was very difficult and all the five ships made some sort of circle around the survivors and picked up those who came near them or into their paths,” he said.
“We are grateful to these strangers for saving our lives.”
Young male survivors Karol Lilwake, Manabe Misilawa, Clarence Komtaga and Raymond Maimoi were on top deck and when they went into the sea they all clung on to an oil drum. Three of their mates perished before their eyes, drowned in the angry seas.
“You can take it from us that three people in our group died,” said Karol.
Their statement, that of the first group plus others will confirm that many people died in one of the most terrible maritime disasters in PNG.
Third year University of Goroka (UOG) student Elijah Tobata and his fellow student Livinstone Mundawi, both stated that were 500 to 600 passengers on board the ill fated ship, when it sailed from its last port of call at Kimbe for Lae.
“I bin gat planti mama na pikinini stap tamblo long seken na ted dek na olgeta go daon wantaim sip (There were many mothers and children in the second and third decks and they went down with the ship),” said Elijah Tobata.
Survivors attested that the numbers of passengers stated by Rabaul shipping as 378 is not correct.
A passenger who got on at Buka said they were already 400 plus passengers on the first leg of journey from Buka to Rabaul and about 100 passengers got off in Rabaul.
He said at Rabaul, many more passengers got on board and at Kimbe, it was a disaster, as many more people were buying tickets.
Most of these people were students, who were in a rush to come quickly for the start of the school year in universities and colleges like UOG, Divine Word, Lae Polytech and secondary and high schools in Lae, the Highlands region and Madang.
Police arrested the ship captain.
This were the words of Ezekiel Sauba, a survivor of the MV Rabaul Queen disaster off the coast of Finschhafen in Morobe Province last Thursday.
Ezekiel, traumatised by his ordeal, was among the first group on a life raft that reached the Mol Summer, an international merchant ship that responded to the distress call from MV Rabaul Queen.
Ezekiel said three men, a Bougainvillean, an East Sepik and an East New Briton perished under the hull of the merchant ship as they were sucked in by the seas and the pressure exerted by the hull of the ship and chopped up by the propellers right in front of their eyes. He said he and the other survivors were also sucked in but they pushed hard against the hull to get clear and failed twice to get on before successfully clamering on board on the third attempt.
Third year University of Goroka student Elijah Tobata, fellow UOG student Livingstone Mundawi, Agib Gimunda, Joe Baiari and Manu Sui and a lone young woman were in that group.
Elijah said MV Rabaul Queen sank around at 12 midday after the international merchant ships started rescuing them.
“They were so big and maneuvering to collect us in the sea. It was very difficult and all the five ships made some sort of circle around the survivors and picked up those who came near them or into their paths,” he said.
“We are grateful to these strangers for saving our lives.”
Young male survivors Karol Lilwake, Manabe Misilawa, Clarence Komtaga and Raymond Maimoi were on top deck and when they went into the sea they all clung on to an oil drum. Three of their mates perished before their eyes, drowned in the angry seas.
“You can take it from us that three people in our group died,” said Karol.
Their statement, that of the first group plus others will confirm that many people died in one of the most terrible maritime disasters in PNG.
Third year University of Goroka (UOG) student Elijah Tobata and his fellow student Livinstone Mundawi, both stated that were 500 to 600 passengers on board the ill fated ship, when it sailed from its last port of call at Kimbe for Lae.
“I bin gat planti mama na pikinini stap tamblo long seken na ted dek na olgeta go daon wantaim sip (There were many mothers and children in the second and third decks and they went down with the ship),” said Elijah Tobata.
Survivors attested that the numbers of passengers stated by Rabaul shipping as 378 is not correct.
A passenger who got on at Buka said they were already 400 plus passengers on the first leg of journey from Buka to Rabaul and about 100 passengers got off in Rabaul.
He said at Rabaul, many more passengers got on board and at Kimbe, it was a disaster, as many more people were buying tickets.
Most of these people were students, who were in a rush to come quickly for the start of the school year in universities and colleges like UOG, Divine Word, Lae Polytech and secondary and high schools in Lae, the Highlands region and Madang.
Police arrested the ship captain.
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