Lack of equipment as bodies of woman and daughter remain trapped 60m deep

The bodies of woman and daughter who perished after their car capsized into the Indian Ocean are still trapped 60m underwater due to lack of specialized equipment to retrieve them.

“We have carried out an assesment and established that the place where the vehicle sunk is 60m deep and it requires specialised equipment to retrieve which is not available at the moment,” said Bakari Gowa, Kenya Ferry Services Managing Director. He went on to state that they have had to contract an underwater operations company with specialized echo equipment that will enable them to detect the vehicle.

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The incident has raised concerns on the safety of the passengers and the disaster preparedness of Mombasa County and the Kenya Ferry Services. Residents have been complaining about the safety of the vessel which has been in service for 26 years but does not have a system to close its ramp to secure vehicles and passengers.

The two Mariam Kigenda and daughter Amanda died after their car fell from MV Harambee.

Her husband, John Wambua, could not hold tears as he explained that he was to accompany them to their farm in Msambweni, Kwale County as he always does but decided to remain behind with their son Elvis.