A major search and rescue operation is underway in the Lau Waters after six healthcare workers travelling aboard the Ministry of Health and Medical Services vessel, MD Ono-i-Lau, were reported missing while on a medical outreach mission.
The team, comprising a Medical Officer, Dental Officer, Charge Nurse, Peer Educator, Health Inspector and Dental Assistant, left Moce at 7am yesterday and was expected to reach Oneata after about two hours.
The Ministry of Health confirmed that the vessel’s boat handler was found by a search party from Lakeba this morning and is receiving medical treatment at Lakeba Hospital. The six healthcare workers remain missing.
According to information provided by the boat handler, the vessel’s engine failed before it began taking in water.
The healthcare workers put on life jackets and used the vessel’s wooden floor planks as flotation devices.
The boat handler then swam towards Aiwa Island in an effort to obtain mobile phone reception, leaving the medical team safely secured and without injuries at that time.
When the vessel failed to arrive in Oneata as scheduled, the district nurse alerted Lakeba Sub-Divisional Hospital, prompting the immediate mobilisation of search teams yesterday afternoon.
The Ministry said it had been working closely with the Fiji Police Force, the Fiji Navy Rescue Coordinating Centre, the Office of the Commissioner Eastern and other partner agencies over the past 24 hours.
Command centres have been activated at Lakeba Sub-Divisional Hospital and the Eastern Health Divisional Office to coordinate the emergency response.
Alerts have also been issued to all eight villages in Lakeba, as well as community leaders through district nurses in Nayau, Vanuavatu and Moala, and the Lomaloma medical team.
The Ministry said it had prioritised informing the next of kin of the six healthcare workers and would continue providing updates as more information became available.
It is appealing to seafarers, mariners and coastal communities travelling through the Lakeba–Oneata passage to remain vigilant and report any sightings that may assist search efforts.
