Piracy has hit the Motuan coastline for the first time, with reports of one man
being killed and several others injured in an incident near Kido village.Victims of the hold-up say they were returning from a trip to Hisiu and Toutu village on Wednesday morning at the break of dawn. Three banana boats, each carrying between five and six men plus cargo were travelling in convoy. "When we went past the pirate dinghy, it was parked so we just thought they were just a couple of fishermen," said a passenger on the first boat. After the second dinghy passed, the pirates headed towards the last dinghy and held it up. The seven pirates, six armed with guns while one was holding a machete, stopped the dinghy at gunpoint and took the belongings of the men onboard and cut the hose fuelling the motor before getting the full fuel tank.They then sped towards the second dinghy and again held them up at gunpoint.One of the pirates was recognised by a passenger who called out his name twice. This deterred the pirates who went in pursuit of the first dinghy.The pirates screamed for it to halt, but the passengers realised what was happening and the skipper tried to get away. However the weight of the cargo slowed them down and the pirates caught up with them.The pirates chopped the skipper’s left hand, causing him to let go of the motor which fell into the ocean. The dinghy ran out of control, throwing the other passengers into the water. A Kairuku man received injuries to his leg from the rotating propeller. A pirate took off in the empty dinghy and left the men floating in the bloody water.The injured skipper swam to shore using one hand; fearing sharks would be lured by the blood. His older brother tried to keep an injured man afloat but, by the time two other boats arrived, both had swallowed a lot of seawater and were unconscious. They were immediately taken to Kido village and attempts were made to revive them. One man was successfully revived but the other, Daure Heni from Elevala, died. A post-mortem will be carried out. PNG Facts/Post Courier Comments are closed.
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