This archive report was first published on 28 June 2021.
June 21, 2021, will forever be etched in the memories of Yunus Beku's family as the day their loved one's life was cut short aboard a Chinese ship near Singapore waters.
According to reports, Beku, a crew member on the ship, collapsed and died on June 21. However, the ship's crew faced a daunting task in repatriating the body to Kenya due to the refusal of three countries - Singapore, Malaysia, and Sri Lanka - to allow the ship to offload the body.
Did Musa, the Managing Director of Mombasa Ocean, the vessel's local handling agents, revealed that he had reached out to the three countries but was met with a flat refusal. Musa noted that the ship had to seek the help of Mauritius, which eventually agreed to allow the vessel to dock and repatriate the body.
"The master of the vessel, Sun Mas Lung, alerted Singapore authorities of what had transpired and requested to be allowed to move to shore to discharge the dead body for safe repatriation back to Kenya but was denied permission," Musa stated.
"We are in touch with the vessel master and crew and already it has embarked on a sea cruise journey to Mauritius that has agreed to allow the vessel to dock in their island state," Musa added.
The family of the late Yunus Beku is still reeling from the shock of his sudden demise, with his mother-in-law, Magdalene Malemba, stating, "We are in shock as to what might have killed him suddenly in a far-flung nation. We are waiting for the body to inter it as per Islamic traditions."
According to Did Musa, the body will be moved to a Mauritius morgue for postmortem before being flown back to Kenya. The family is eagerly waiting for the body to be airlifted from Mauritius to Kenya, where they will receive it.
