The Sierra Leone Red Cross Society (SLRC) has been the first humanitarian organization to rush to the aid of the 39 survivors and bereaved families of the sea disaster which occurred last week Tuesday.
Constant Kargbo, Acting Disaster Management Coordinator told Awoko that last Saturday a team from SLRC Freetown and Moyamba branches donated medical and non food items to the survivors and the bereaved families in Shenge, where the bulk of the people involved in the accident reside.
He said that as a result of the accident a meeting was summoned by the President of the Red Cross Edward Gandi on two things; the conditions of the survivors and the bereaved families.
The Coordinator noted that upon their arrival in Shenge, they met with the Regent Chief of Kaboro Chiefdom Mohamed Joe Moriba, local authorities and a good number of the survivors.
The Regent Chief told them that the visit of the Red Cross was timely, as they are the first humanitarian organization to have come to their rescue, since the time of the incident.
According to one of the survivors, David Hai who was reportedly the first to swim back to Shenge said that the boat was leaving Shenge for Tombo. 30 minutes after the boat took off, it started to sink because it was overloaded.
Hai explained that before the boat left, the Harbor Master cautioned the captain of the boat against over loading, but he refused to take heed.
According to the Chief, the manifests had 251 passengers on board excluding the children, suggesting that there were over 300 people in the boat.
As of Saturday evening, he said there are 39 survivors, 28 have been buried while 185 are still unaccounted for.
Councilor of ward 296 in Shenge requested assistance from the SLRC to help develop their road network, which is a main reason for people to use the sea to travel.
Secretary General of SLRC Emmanuel Tommy said they had received support from the International Federation of Red Cross and the British Red Cross to address some of disaster issues in the country.
By Abibatu Kamara
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