28 May 2012

Survivors of Solomons' ship sinking being taken to Honiara

3:52 pm on 28 May 2012

Passengers and crew from the Solfish 001, which sank in southeastern Solomon Islands last week, are being transported to the capital Honiara for further medical assessments.

49 men, women and children, who failed to arrive in Lata in Temotu Province on Wednesday, were rescued from life rafts on Saturday and taken to hospital on Makira Island.

The ship is thought to have sunk about 100 kilometres north of the Santa Cruz Islands.

The Police Commissioner John Lansley says police are supporting the Maritime Safety Authority's investigation into the sinking and helping the victims get medical attention.

"The plan is for the women and children and people who need to be reassessed by the National Referral Hospital here in Honiara will hopefully come back this afternoon or early this evening. The remaining passengers and crew who will come on a patrol boat which takes a lot longer will come back either overnight or tomorrow."

John Lansley says it is too early to say what might have caused the Solfish 001 to sink.