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At least 27 asylum seekers die as boat sinks off Australia
Source: Agencies |
December 16, 2010, Thursday
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A WOODEN boat packed with asylum seekers smashed against jagged rocks in a storm off an Australian island yesterday, flinging occupants into waters and killing at least 27 people.
Christmas Island residents on a cliff above watched in horror as the boat - carrying about 70 people - broke apart, dumping men, women and children into waves that threw them against the rocks.
"It was just horrible. People getting crushed. Bodies, dead children, the whole thing was pretty awful," island resident Simon Prince said.
Officials gave no immediate word on the nationality of the victims. The Customs and Border Protection Service said in a statement yesterday that 27 bodies had been recovered from the water. Forty-one survivors were plucked from the seas, and one person made it to shore.
"The rescue is being conducted in extremely difficult and dangerous conditions," the customs department said. "The search and rescue situation is ongoing."
Women and children were among the dead, Western Australia state Premier Colin Barnett said in a statement.
The Royal Flying Doctor Service sent doctors to the island to treat 30 injured victims, said Joeley Pettit-Scott, the group's spokeswoman. Three patients were critically injured, two men with head injuries and one woman with abdominal trauma, she said.
Acting Prime Minister Wayne Swan said the vessel was a people smuggler's boat, but it was not clear where the passengers were from.
Christmas Island is a remote Australian territory closer to Indonesia than the Australian mainland and a frequent target of refugee hopefuls, who are housed in a detention center there. Australia is a prime destination for people from poor, often war-ravaged, countries who want to start a new life.
Photos and videos taken by witnesses at the scene show the wooden boat crashing into the rocks and breaking apart. The images also show people floating in the water amid the wreckage. It is unclear if they are alive or dead. The boat was about six to nine meters long, with a cabin covered by a sheet of fabric or plastic.
Prince, who lives next to the cliff where the boat crashed, said he was woken up early yesterday by what he thought were cheers. He walked to the cliff and instead heard cries for help from a boat in trouble just offshore.
Prince called the police and soon there were dozens of locals standing on the cliff, wondering how they could help despite the storm and crashing waves. He said the boat tossed for an hour before it finally hit the rocks at the base of the cliff.
Prince and other neighbors hurled about 50 or 60 life jackets into the water. But many just floated away. Some would-be rescuers were injured on the rocks while trying to get the life jackets to those in the water, he said.
Prince said navy and customs vessels were on the other side of the island helping another boat of asylum seekers in and took some time to respond to the calls for help.
"Eventually the navy came around and started picking people up, but it was too late for some," Prince said.
Christmas Island residents on a cliff above watched in horror as the boat - carrying about 70 people - broke apart, dumping men, women and children into waves that threw them against the rocks.
"It was just horrible. People getting crushed. Bodies, dead children, the whole thing was pretty awful," island resident Simon Prince said.
Officials gave no immediate word on the nationality of the victims. The Customs and Border Protection Service said in a statement yesterday that 27 bodies had been recovered from the water. Forty-one survivors were plucked from the seas, and one person made it to shore.
"The rescue is being conducted in extremely difficult and dangerous conditions," the customs department said. "The search and rescue situation is ongoing."
Women and children were among the dead, Western Australia state Premier Colin Barnett said in a statement.
The Royal Flying Doctor Service sent doctors to the island to treat 30 injured victims, said Joeley Pettit-Scott, the group's spokeswoman. Three patients were critically injured, two men with head injuries and one woman with abdominal trauma, she said.
Acting Prime Minister Wayne Swan said the vessel was a people smuggler's boat, but it was not clear where the passengers were from.
Christmas Island is a remote Australian territory closer to Indonesia than the Australian mainland and a frequent target of refugee hopefuls, who are housed in a detention center there. Australia is a prime destination for people from poor, often war-ravaged, countries who want to start a new life.
Photos and videos taken by witnesses at the scene show the wooden boat crashing into the rocks and breaking apart. The images also show people floating in the water amid the wreckage. It is unclear if they are alive or dead. The boat was about six to nine meters long, with a cabin covered by a sheet of fabric or plastic.
Prince, who lives next to the cliff where the boat crashed, said he was woken up early yesterday by what he thought were cheers. He walked to the cliff and instead heard cries for help from a boat in trouble just offshore.
Prince called the police and soon there were dozens of locals standing on the cliff, wondering how they could help despite the storm and crashing waves. He said the boat tossed for an hour before it finally hit the rocks at the base of the cliff.
Prince and other neighbors hurled about 50 or 60 life jackets into the water. But many just floated away. Some would-be rescuers were injured on the rocks while trying to get the life jackets to those in the water, he said.
Prince said navy and customs vessels were on the other side of the island helping another boat of asylum seekers in and took some time to respond to the calls for help.
"Eventually the navy came around and started picking people up, but it was too late for some," Prince said.
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