PNG: Boat operator to be charged

A boat operator in Papua New Guinea’s Bougainville is to face negligence charges after prompting his second rescue in a month.

In the most recent incident 14 people were lost at sea for a week until being rescued last Friday.

The boat was spotted by an Australian Airforce plane which had been requested by the disaster manager in Bougainville, Franklin Lacey.

Lacey says the people are all safe and well, though several of the adults were put under medical observation.

Lacey says they think the boat ran out of fuel – just as had happened the previous month when they also had to rescue him.

He calls the operator a careless young man and says he will be charged with negligence..

“They could have died if I didn’t get the Australian Defence Force,” Lacey said.