This archive report was first published on 2 October 2019.
On October 2, 2019, search teams resumed their operations at the Likoni ferry channel, where a mother and daughter drowned after their vehicle submerged in the Indian Ocean on Sunday.
According to the Kenya Ferry Service, ferry operations were suspended for two hours to allow salvage teams to operate uninterrupted.
Officers from the Kenya Coast Guard Service, Kenya Navy, Kenya Ports Authority, and Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KEMFRI) were on site, along with private divers.
Friends and family of the victims had earlier paid for a team of private divers to help retrieve the bodies of their loved ones from the ocean.
However, a human rights activist reported that the government search team instructed the private divers to stay away, sparking tensions.
A Twitter update from Wevyn Muganda read, 'Musa the diver paid by the family ameambiwa akae kando. What’s going to happen? Waiting to find out #LikoniFerryTragedy #BoycottMashujaaDay2019 @pic.twitter.com/Ew5p2tExB1.'
Later, an update stated that after brief consultations, the private divers were allowed back into the water, and the search officially began.
Another update from Wevyn Muganda read, 'Update: Musa and team from Kenya Rescue Divers are back on operation after some discussions. Amanda and Mariam have not been found. This operation is difficult. Just wondering if Kenya Navy and Ferry lack capacity or lack willingness to execute the operation.'
