Four people die in a boat accident after end of year party

A woman and three men died in a boat accident between the waters of Gereka and Lion Island on Saturday, according to police.

Acting Assistant Commissioner of Police Benjamin Turi confirmed that his officers are investigating the deaths of the four deceased individuals, along with the other survivors who were rescued by the police, Saint John's Ambulance, and locals who witnessed the incident.

He said the team rescued two children on the same afternoon, along with three others, in addition to the four who were rushed to the hospital.

He stated that the Water Police officers are on the lookout for the other missing individuals, and they are yet to confirm how many have returned and how many are still missing.

According to the police report, the function was made up of Remington Technology employees, most of whom reside in the Gereka area.

It was reported that 25 people left Gereka on Saturday for Lion Island for an end-of-year function that was alleged to have been organized by the company management Remington Technology. He said, out of the 25, ten are children while the rest are adults.

"I had assigned the Criminal Investigation Division officers to investigate the boat owners and those who organized the event to see if they had taken into consideration the safety of the people they invited when traveling out to sea.

It was an unfortunate situation, and I want the relatives of those who are victims to assist the police with the investigation and not blame the Gereka locals or do anything that is not right.

"The party was organized, and those who were part of it are related to each other in one way or another. We must not blame innocent people. The boat operator must surrender himself to the police.

He must not hide from the police because many people have lost their lives, and the others are also victims of this boat tragedy. I want him to surrender to the police and provide his statement on what happened," ACP Turi said.

He further added that the National Maritime Safety Authority must work with the police to ensure that those who were involved in one way or another regarding the incident are held accountable for their actions. He said the investigation team will look at the status of each individual who was on the boat and how many passengers were on the boat when the incident happened.

"This is a warning to everyone who is traveling on small boats to take safety measures before going out to sea. Overloading and boat operators operating the boat under the influence of alcohol might be some of the causes of the deaths, but we will wait for the investigation team to update us when they complete their investigation. Otherwise, the public is asked to always take care and be safety conscious when traveling on boats," ACP Turi said.

He further added that the investigation team had started their investigation to identify the four, as well as the others who were at the function, so they could interview them and deal with those involved in committing the crime accordingly.