Bougainville Island girl’s rescue prompts police to urge flares use
26/07/2021
Police in the autonomous region of Bougainville Island, Papua New Guinea, called for boaters to include flares among their marine safety equipment after a girl was found adrift in an inflatable boat after 36 hours at sea.
Five-year-old Lilycae Kilvert set off in a dinghy from the capital Buka one morning in July. She was with her grandmother and 11 other passengers. The boat failed to arrive at Nissan Island, where it was headed. It was later found that Lilycae was missing.
Sailing conditions in the area are dangerous. The sea is up to 4 kilometres deep and there are swirling currents, the ABC news website reported.
Lilycae was found the next day on another island about 50km north of where her vessel had been headed.
Bougainville’s Police Commissioner Francis Tokura says this wasn’t the first time a boat had gone missing in the province. “It’s about time people listen to the strong wind warnings, and they must also have safety gear on their boats, flares and vest as well, so when the boat sinks, at least they can float.”
The image of Bougainville Island is by Jeremy Weate. The Flickr photo is reproduced under CreativeCommons.
