November 2009 Cocos (Keeling) Island migrant boat disaster
Encyclopedia
The November 2009 Indian Ocean Migrant Boat Disaster occurred in the early hours of Monday, 2 November 2009, when a boat carrying about forty Sri Lankan
asylum seekers sank in the Indian Ocean
at a distance of some 350 nautical miles (648.2 km) north-west of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands
. According to the initial reports made the same day, more than 20 migrants were missing after 17 had been accounted for and/or saved by the RAAF
and the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia
. The day after on November 3, 2009, one migrant was confirmed dead, his body having been found, and at least eleven were reported as missing.
The boat had issued a distress signal late Sunday night and it was detected in international waters within Australia's search and rescue zone. Two vessels responded to the initial distress call, a commercial ship carrying liquid natural gas, the LNG Pioneer and a trawler named FV Kuamg. It is believed the migrant boat capsized during attempts to rescue the passengers made by the two vessels, who could nevertheless pick up more than a dozen survivors before the arrival of the Australian authorities.
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
asylum seekers sank in the Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
at a distance of some 350 nautical miles (648.2 km) north-west of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands
Cocos (Keeling) Islands
The Territory of the Cocos Islands, also called Cocos Islands and Keeling Islands, is a territory of Australia, located in the Indian Ocean, southwest of Christmas Island and approximately midway between Australia and Sri Lanka....
. According to the initial reports made the same day, more than 20 migrants were missing after 17 had been accounted for and/or saved by the RAAF
Royal Australian Air Force
The Royal Australian Air Force is the air force branch of the Australian Defence Force. The RAAF was formed in March 1921. It continues the traditions of the Australian Flying Corps , which was formed on 22 October 1912. The RAAF has taken part in many of the 20th century's major conflicts...
and the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia
Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia
The Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia is an emergency and primary health care service for those living in rural, remote and regional areas of Australia...
. The day after on November 3, 2009, one migrant was confirmed dead, his body having been found, and at least eleven were reported as missing.
The boat had issued a distress signal late Sunday night and it was detected in international waters within Australia's search and rescue zone. Two vessels responded to the initial distress call, a commercial ship carrying liquid natural gas, the LNG Pioneer and a trawler named FV Kuamg. It is believed the migrant boat capsized during attempts to rescue the passengers made by the two vessels, who could nevertheless pick up more than a dozen survivors before the arrival of the Australian authorities.