Asylum seekers stranded on remote beach for three days after boat sinks
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Version 0 of 1. An asylum seeker boat carrying about 25 people sank off the eastern coast of Christmas Island on Monday with those on board living on a remote beach on the island for the past three days, according to Christmas Island sources. The head of the Christmas Island workers union, Gordon Thompson, told Guardian Australia that about eight or nine of the asylum seekers on board were found by police wandering the North/South baseline road. Those found by police were all Rohingyan asylum seekers, it is understood. Thompson said a further 16 asylum seekers of unknown descent were being rescued by police as of 2pm Christmas Island time. He said there had been no casualties reported so far. The asylum seekers are understood to have washed up on Dolly Beach, a remote beach on the eastern coast of the island with access to fresh water. Thompson said the only way to exit the beach was a “steep climb” out. He said the people found on the road had been moved to immigration detention on the island. Immigration minister Scott Morrison issued a statement earlier saying that border protection command was responding to an incident of an “unconfirmed nature” on the south-eastern coast of Christmas Island. Morrison’s media release said that “details of the incident are not clear at this point” and that those involved were being questioned by “island agencies”. “On-island agencies and border protection command assets are also responding and are on scene,” Morrison’s release said. A spokesman for Scott Morrison’s office said they were not in a position to confirm any further details<strong>.</strong> Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning. |