Papua New Guinea province reels from maritime tragedy as hopes fade for 27 missing

Hope is fading for the 27 people missing at sea after two boats capsized over the weekend in Papua New Guinea's East New Britain province. The vessels were traveling from the Duke of York group of islands to Kokopo when they capsized in rough seas and bad weather on Saturday afternoon.

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That's when they found the firts bodies, the other day, and then this morning (Wednesday) they found a second body there. So we've come to realising that we are now going to search for the bodies, just to give closure to the families of East New Britain.

Authorities initiated a search using air and sea capabilities. One boat was found off the coast of neighboring New Ireland province, far from its intended route. "That's when they found the first bodies, the other day, and then this morning (Wednesday) they found a second body there," said local MP Jelta Wong. "So we've come to realizing that we are now going to search for the bodies, just to give closure to the families of East New Britain."

Two survivors, identified as skippers, reportedly made it ashore on Saturday night. They were interviewed by police as part of the ongoing response. The search has continued despite disruptions from bad weather. Up to 17 children are understood to be among the missing. "The devastation and realization that children were involved, it really affects us," Wong told RNZ Pacific.

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The devastation and realisation that children were involved, it really affects us.

Wong highlighted that while PNG recently strengthened its maritime regulations to include basic precautions and safety standards, they are not being adequately enforced or adhered to. "This is what we as a province have to look at, to try and implement them and make sure the new regulations are enforced for the good of the travelling public," he said. The new regulations mandate GPS and life-jackets, with heavy penalties for non-compliance.

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This is what we as a province have to look at, to try and implement them and make sure the new regulations are enforced for the good of the travelling public.

Local authorities have increased advisories on weather and maritime conditions due to sustained stronger winds associated with the developing El Nino phase. The Disaster and Emergency Office had warned about sea travel during the recent bad weather. Wong urged the public to heed these warnings, noting that complacency and underestimating the weather's rapid changes often lead to such tragedies. "Sometimes because we are complacent in our thinking and how we travel. Every day our people travel by sea. They kind of ignore the warnings and look at the weather themselves and then they think it's okay," Wong said. "But you don't realize the weather can change automatically, quickly. That's how we get these tragedies."

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Sometimes because we are cimplacent in our thinking and how we travel. Every day our people travel by sea. They kind of ignore the warnings and look at the weather themselves and then they think it's okay. But you don't realise the weather can change automatically, quickly. That's how we get these tragedies.