Mombasa: 3 Tanzanian Fishermen Stranded At The Ocean For 3 Days Rescued

 

• Police say the three are from the Tanagani area in Pemba and survived without food or water after their dugout canoe that was on a fishing expedition capsized following a heavy storm.
  
• The three had set sail for the high seas early Saturday morning at around 4 AM on a non-motorised canoe.
  

Three Tanzanian fishermen rescued by a cargo ship after getting stranded at the ocean for three days and two nights arrived safely at the port of Mombasa on Tuesday night.

Police say the three are from the Tanagani area in Pemba and survived without food or water after their dugout canoe that was on a fishing expedition capsized following a heavy storm.

“Their hopes to return to their families with a handsome catch were turned into a nightmare, as the three spent over 55-hours in the high seas playing hide and seek games with sharks and other deadly sea creatures to save their lives,” detectives said in a report on Tuesday.

The three had set sail for the high seas early Saturday morning at around 4 AM on a non-motorised canoe.

Halfway through their voyage, their canoe came under a torrential storm accompanied by strong tidal waves that swept it off, tossing the fishermen into the raging waters.

“Miraculously, the trio fought through the storm and strong winds spawned by a surge of the northeast monsoon and managed to get hold of the vessel, which they floated on the water once again and hopped aboard,” police said.

With their paddles gone with the tides, the fishermen lost control over the canoe miles away from the shore. They resigned to their fate drifting deep into the sea by wind and tide.

“All this while, sharks crisscrossed daringly inches from the canoe as if marking time for the slightest provocation, before tearing the ill-fated vessel apart and devouring the terrified occupants in a single bite,” the report added.

On Monday evening, the captain of a bulk ship spotted the canoe with stranded occupants within the Kenyan territorial waters.

The captain reported to the Kenya Ports Authority control tower and was advised to assist the three and disembark them in Mombasa.

The ship’s crew members rescued the trio and gave them food, water, clothing and a place to sleep before ferrying them up to the outer port limits of the Mombasa port on Tuesday night.

“The Tanzanian consular was immediately notified and after interviewing the three, he established that they were Tanzanian nationals,” police said, adding that plans are underway to ensure that they are repatriated back home.