A midnight fishing expedition has resulted in a fatal accident at the high seas, leaving two people dead when a huge cargo vessel hit and left the small artisanal fishing boat in pieces.
Confirming the news, head of the joint maritime committee Commander Sallieu Kanu said the six survivors have been taken to Connaught hospital. Their identities and those of the dead were not known as at press time.
He said the collision that left the wooden boat completely torn apart was being investigated with support from the police.
“We are tracing and tracking the history of vessel movements before or about the time the accident occurred. Until we ascertain some of those facts, we will continue to make the necessary enquiries,” he told Politico last night.
The victims, who were rescued by Chinese fishermen onboard a vessel called Suyu, one of the fleets of Okeke fishing agency, were provided with first aid treatment before the maritime wing was alerted to their plight.
Asked whether this was a frequent occurrence in recent times, the navy commander said such accidents seldom happen.
In February 2012 the BBC carried a story declaring Sierra Leone as the toughest place to be a fisherman.
“For centuries the fertile fishing grounds off Sierra Leone have provided a living for coastal villagers, but unwelcome intruders are now threatening their way of life.”
The report found out that the rich coastal fishing grounds were supposed to be protected by a five-mile exclusion zone but it's poorly enforced, so increasingly foreign boats fish illegally.
