Children and families in need of support after tragic ferry disaster in Kiribati [1]
Friday, February 2, 2018 - 19:11. Updated on Wednesday, February 21, 2018 - 13:01.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO) are working with the Government of Kiribati to support children, families and communities affected by the recent Butiraoi ferry disaster.
Government reports state that 88 Kiribati passengers, including 23 children were on the 17m catamaran ferry that broke apart and sank two weeks ago. Four international aircraft had been scouring a huge area of the Pacific for the past week since the alarm was first raised, eight days after the ferry set off from Nonouti Island on a two-day journey to the capital Tarawa.
“Children are greatly affected in a disaster such as this. Not only those children who were on their way to school the first week of term and tragically lost their lives, but also the schools, families, and communities who are left behind to deal with this tragedy,” said Sheldon Yett, UNICEF Pacific Representative in a statement today. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Kiribati.”
Mr. Yett added, “UNICEF and WHO together with partners in Kiribati are working to reach families, including children who are most vulnerable after a disaster. Counsellors will also be travelling by boat this week to Nonouti Island to support therapeutic activities with affected children. Trainings for counsellors will ensure children receive age-appropriate help to deal with this trauma, and get back to school and a normal routine as soon as possible.”
UNICEF and WHO have also provided the government with medical supplies, and are supporting the emergency medical response. WHO is working closely with the Kiribati Ministry of Health and Medical Services to coordinate clinical care for survivors by ensuring the hospitals are well prepared to receive incoming patients and, if necessary, to manage and identify deceased victims in a way that is respectful and culturally sensitive.
“This is a tragic event, and our hearts are with those affected,” said Dr Corinne Capuano, WHO Representative for the South Pacific and Director of Pacific Technical Support. “WHO has deployed an additional two emergency staff to Kiribati, who are on the ground supporting the response, and we are committed to continuing our support as long as needed by the community and government.”
Seven survivors
The MV Butiraoi had no form of emergency detection beacon, the government said, and it only had one life raft and two dinghies.
Emergency authorities have suspended the aerial search for the missing ferry and a missing liferaft that people had scrambled onto.
A dinghy with seven people onboard was found on Sunday but no more survivors were found. The seven survivors are due to arrive in the Kiribati capital, Tarawa, on Saturday, almost a week after they were rescued.
Sean Casey, coordinating the World Health Organisation's emergency response and said earlier that while their health was good, they would need ongoing support as they came to terms with the disaster.
"They have been at sea for a long time, the boat departed on the 18th of January, and clearly they'll have some needs in terms of reconnecting with their families and just feeling emotionally with the stress from the accident itself and from the long time at sea, and then reintegrating," he said.