This archive report was first published on 10 October 2019.
On October 9, the family of Mariam Kighenda and her daughter Amanda Mutheu received renewed hope after expert divers announced that they had located the car that plunged into the Indian Ocean on September 29.
The wreck was found 58 meters deep in the cold and muddy seabed, trapped in a cave.
Government Spokesman Cyrus Oguna confirmed that the retrieved wreck was the Likoni tragedy victims' car that divers had been searching for the last 11 days.
According to Oguna, the vehicle would be retrieved on the same day, and family members had been psychologically prepared for the process.
Luka Mbati, the Likoni Ferry tragedy victims' family spokesman, stated that they had been receiving a blow-by-blow account of the operation and were shown images, which renewed their hope of retrieving the bodies.
However, the discovery of the wreck has raised fresh questions and conspiracy theories, as some had previously claimed that wreckage and corpses had already been successfully retrieved and placed in a private yard on the Likoni shore.
Experts have warned people to stay calm, despite Oguna's positive report on retrieval, as it may take up to four days to bring the car to the surface, depending on the availability of suitable equipment, the weather, and the tide.
