An elderly woman from Yabam Pahilele island of the East Cape area of Milne Bay Province has gone missing since Saturday, December 13, 2015.
Maile Abaijah, the woman's niece said she went out fishing at around 4pm that afternoon and did not return. "After we (the family) realised that she was missing, we recruited a search party and went out on Sunday morning looking for her. We checked around East Cape area and the nearby outer islands but our searches were unsuccessful."
Abaijah said yesterday four dinghies went out looking for her around the Basilaki island but they ran out of zoom and had to call off the search.
"It’s been three nights now and I've travelled into town this morning to report the incident and seek assistance from the Provincial Disaster office if they could help and supply us with 400Litres of zoom so we can continue the search. I have already informed the National Disaster office in Port Moresby and they are aware and are on standby to assist,” said Maile.
According to Maile, the woman is visually impaired (blind) but she is able to do gardening, weaving mats and bilums, sweeping and cleaning around the house and going fishing by herself. This is not the first time she has gone missing at sea. It happened to her last year but the villagers managed to find her. This year is her second time to go missing.
They are yet to inform, police but families are calling on locals in the surrounding islands to keep an eye out on their waters should they come across her. She is by herself on a white outrigger canoe. The search is expected to continue if they are supplied with zoom.