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Stowaways flee Kenya for SA
21/01/2008 13:07 - (SA)
Johannesburg - Two teenage stowaways fleeing from strife-torn Kenya survived an eight-day journey through treacherous seas while clinging to a tiny ledge above a bulk carrier's rudder, the Eastern Province Herald online newspaper said on Monday.
The teenagers were rescued off Port Elizabeth on Sunday.
"In a death-defying feat, the two boys - aged just 16 and 18 - survived on just a few dry biscuits, hanging onto a makeshift rope they had made with their clothes," the Herald reported.
They survived the journey only because of the light load of the ship.
"Had the carrier had more containers aboard, maritime experts said the rudder would have been below the water line and the teenagers would have drowned," the newspaper said.
Port Elizabeth National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) station commander Ian Gray told the newspaper that the Tanzanian-born teens had been discovered shortly after the Panamanian-registered New Auspicious arrived in Algoa Bay on Sunday.
The ship had anchored outside the harbour at 09:30 to await port entry instructions when the crew heard noises coming from the rudder section.
Although they could not see anyone, they suspected stowaways and alerted port authorities.
The NSRI was called in and the two were subsequently discovered.
After rescuers found them to be in a satisfactory condition, they were taken for a full medical check-up by a state doctor.
Teen in custody
The teenagers confirmed that they got onto the ship in Mombasa, Kenya, and that they were born in Tanzania and their families were still there, Gray told the newspaper.
They said they had left their country to escape "hardships" and had come to South Africa to look for work.
The teens were handed over to immigration officials who later handed them over to police.
The Tanzanian High Commission was due to be notified.
Police spokesperson Hazel Mqala confirmed the teens were in police custody.
She said the 18-year-old was being held at Humewood police station and was due to appear in court on Monday, charged with illegal immigration.
The 16-year-old had been taken to Stepping Stones juvenile facility and authorities would attempt to contact his parents, the Herald said.
- SAPA
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