Tragic accident at ferry crossing exposes incapacity of rescuers

Painful death

“It took 30 minutes for the vehicle to sink while Masindano waved as he screamed for help before he  drowned. There were no divers at the scene to rescue him,” Mutua says.

She blames the KFS management for the delay in saving Masindano.

But KFS managing director Bakari Gowa defended the State agency, and maintained that his team swung in action in less than 10 minutes.

“In less than 10 minutes, our rescue team threw life rings at the driver but he was clinging to the steering wheel making it difficult to rescue him. That is how he lost his life,” Gowa explains. He says the vehicle sank fast because of strong undercurrents.

The tragic incident also exposed disjointed co-ordination of State agencies such as KPA, Kenya Navy and Kenya Maritime Authority as well as the private sector during marine disasters.

Apparently, KPA deployed its skilled divers and specialised equipment three days after the incident and pulled out the ill-fated vehicle within hours from the seabed 60 feet below. For three days, KFS and police were helpless as they had no specialised equipment to start the salvage operation.

According to independent divers, the disjointed rescue operation was reminiscent of the Mtongwe Ferry disaster of 1994 that claimed hundreds of lives.

Chairman of the Kenya Rescue Divers and Life Savers Organisation (KRDLSO) Moses Owaga says in case of emergencies, KFS relies heavily on his team who happen to be volunteers.

“There is no specific monetary gain in our rescue missions. We may at times we get just a token. It appears KFS does not want to employ skilled divers to support its operations,” Owaga says.

Volunteer divers

It is telling that in a channel that is used by more than 300,000 passengers and 6,000 vehicles daily, KFS still heavily relies on KPA and Kenya Navy to rescue passengers and vehicles when accidents happen.

At times help comes too late.

In Masindano’s case, search and rescue operations were called off as night fell in on the first day for lack of lighting equipment. The operations stalled completely until Thursday when KPA saved the day.

When KPA arrived, its divers used specialised equipment to retrieve the sunken car.

“It took the efforts of our five divers and a supervisor to bring the vehicle to the surface using two floating bags before it was towed away to berth number four,” says KPA principal public relations officer Hajj Masemo.

Usually private divers and rescuers negotiate with owners of sunk vehicles and there no specific fee to be paid.

Mr Gowa says KFS like the Kenya National Highway Authority (KenHA) do not pay for the cost of retrieval of vehicles from undersea. KFS heavily relies on Kenya Maritime Authority, KPA and Kenya Navy to help them respond to some accidents.

KRDLSO chairman Mr Owaga says: “KFS still relies heavily on volunteer divers from our group as it has not hired its own team since 1994 when I helped in the rescue  after the Mtongwe disaster. We are a group of 40 trained divers but KFS uses us as volunteers instead of hiring us to enhance its capacity to deal with disasters,” Owaga says.

Independent sources tell The Standard on Sunday that private individuals pay between Sh500, 000 and Sh1.2 billion to retrieve a sunken vehicle to the surface. Owaga reveals that each time an accident happens, he and his team are called.

“We have no base unit at the ferry to deliver a quick response to such accidents; we always come from far and by the time we arrive, it is too late,” says Owaga.

Sad reality

“Ferries need a team of divers of their own. It is risky to rely on volunteer divers. If I die today who will rescue the ferry passengers?” Owaga poses.

Meanwhile, Owaga claims during his mission to retrieve Masindano’s body there were other vehicles still lying at the bottom of the ocean yet to be removed.

He says lack of spacious speed boats, deep sea lights, divers and cranes hinder KFS from providing an immediate response during a tragedy. It is tragic that 22 years after the tragic Mv Mtongwe One capsized killing more than 250 people on board and injuring over 170 others, KFS is yet to invest in specialised equipment and hire professional divers in case of emergencies. There are also no signs of coast guards near the ferry crossing.

It is worth noting that after the Mtongwe disaster, a judicial commission of inquiry led by Justice Mbogholi Msagha recommended a raft of measures, including the establishment of proper safety and rescue team.  This team was not set up. Meanwhile, thousands of people continue to use the ferries oblivious of these depressing realities.