Search underway for man who fell overboard near Kirakira

Police in Kirakira, Makira-Ulawa Province are searching for a man in his 30s who fell off a boat near the Ngorangora Airport yesterday.

The accident allegedly occurred when the banana boat powered by a 40-horsepower engine was returning to the provincial center after dropping off passengers at a ship bound for Honiara.

Makira-Ulawa Provincial Police Commander Superintendent Peter Sitai said officers and area boat owners conducted searches immediately after the incident.

The search for the man is ongoing.

Police have started an enquiry to determine the cause of the incident, and Mr Sitai appealed to relatives of the missing man not to take the law into their own hands.

Mr Sitai said mariners and the general public travelling around the Makira-Ulawa islands, Malaita and Guadalcanal should look out for suspicious floating objects and report them to Kirakira police or the nearest police station.

By Allen Waitara