Solomon: 27 die during storm, people blame govt’s COVID-19 order

Solomon Prime Minister Manasseh Sovagare on April 8 reportedly said that 27 people had died after being washed overboard from a crowded ferry on April 2. While the authorities are conducting a criminal investigation, several people have reportedly said that government itself must take full responsibility of the incident as they told people to leave the capital and return to their home islands ahead of a possible lockdown. Last week, the tropical cyclone Harold bore down in the Solomons and washed away passengers who were a part of a government programme to evacuate people to their home villages during the global coronavirus pandemic. 

Since April 2, Cyclone Harold has continued to cause problems in the South Pacific, reportedly also battering some Vanuatu islands this week and then grazing Fiji. According to an international media outlet, out of the bodies recovered, a 13-year-old boy was also among them. Sovagare reportedly said that he met the relatives of those who died in the incident. 

READ: US: Illinois Mayor ‘embarrassed’ After Wife Found Violating ‘stay At Home’ Order

A statement from Sovagare’s office read that they were pleased that shipping operators were helping people get home, however, it also said, “the government’s policy decision is aimed at saving and not costing lives”. “Firstly, why did the ship sail when there were weather warning bulletins advising all ships about the approaching Cyclone Harold? Secondly, why was the vessel allowed to load more than twice its maximum licensed passenger capacity?”

‘Government must pay’ 

In response to the government’s questions, a former deputy provincial leader, Star Dora, said the people have been returning to their home islands in huge numbers. While speaking to an international media outlet, Dora said that people were going home not because of their own choices but due to the call by the government. He further added that the police and maritime officers had also failed to do their jobs by stopping overloaded boats from leaving. 

READ: With Johnson Hospitalized, Who's Who In Britain's Cabinet?

Furthermore, while criticising the government, Dora added that the captain may deserve some blame but was also acting on the orders of the government. He said that the government ‘must be held responsible’ and ‘must pay’. 

Meanwhile, Luke Ebbs, the Vanuatu director of relief agency Save the Children, reportedly said that the scale of damage from the cyclone Harold is immense. In a bid to help the island, New Zealand announced that it would help rebuild from the cyclone with aid of up to $300,000. Australia has also donated USD 60,000 in immediate emergency funding. Cyclone Harold has destroyed homes, infrastructure and crops and homes have reportedly been flattened to the point that they are unrecognisable. 

(Image source/Inputs: AP) 

READ: 64 Infected With Coronavirus At Nursing Home In Drzewica

READ: Pope Creates New Expert Commission To Study Women Deacons