NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 18 – Three Tanzanian fishermen have been rescued after being stranded at sea for 3 days, after their dugout canoe that was on a fishing expedition, capsized following a heavy storm.
According to a police report, the three Hafith Abdalla, Musa Silima, and Silimani Zidini from the Tanagani area in Pemba set sail for the high seas early Saturday morning at around 4am, but mid 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,”
Since their paddles were gone, the fishermen lost control over the canoe but they remained calm and clung to hope for survival until on Monday when the captain of a bulk ship MV Ince Atlantic spotted the canoe with stranded occupants within the Kenyan territorial waters, and reported to the Kenya Ports Authority.
“The ship’s crew members rescued the panic stricken 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 yesterday,” reads the report.
The Tanzanian consular was immediately notified and after interviewing the three, he established that they were Tanzanian nationals, and plans are underway to have them repatriated back home and reunited with their families.
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