This archive report was first published on 4 October 2019.
On October 4, 2019, thousands of Mombasa residents gathered at the Likoni ferry ramp, causing a near-stampede situation when ferry operations were halted to facilitate a search mission.
The residents had been waiting to board the ferry, but its channel was closed due to the ongoing recovery mission on the Indian Ocean.
As time ran out, commuters jostled for available space, and some exchanged heavy blows, oblivious to the danger that could have arisen from the slippery surface.
Volker Bassen, a Swedish diver, joined the search mission on October 4, 2019, and was working with the Kenya Navy to locate the bodies of Mariam Kigenda and her daughter Amanda, who had gone missing after their car sank into the ocean on October 29, 2019.
Government spokesperson Cyrus Oguna confirmed Bassen's involvement in the search mission, stating, "We have divers under the water trying to verify those locations we were able to identify previously. Yes, there is an additional asset, an additional support we are able to get from a private diver (Volker Bassen) and we welcome him. He is working through established structures led by Kenya Navy,"
