WALVIS BAY – Financial Director of Seawork Fish Processors Jurgen Sander, whose vessel caught fire and ultimately caused the death of one of their employees, said in a short statement on Monday that they are still not able to provide further information with regards to the incident.
Family and friends of the deceased, Mathews Hausiku Sivambo, 40, who was trapped in the burning vessel, are currently seeking answers following his horrific death during the fire.
According to Sander, Sivambo was employed for 13 years at the company.
Sivambo was part of a 20-men crew that was working inside the vessel, Ocean Tide, when the fire broke out on the vessel on Saturday morning at around 07h00.
This resulted in some of the flammable materials on the vessel catching fire. Nineteen men made it to safety but Sivambo was trapped.
The deceased, could not be reached because of excessive smoke despite fire firefighters battling since Saturday morning to bring the fire under control.
According to Sander, the vessel was moored at their jetty for repairs when the fire broke out. “The exact cause of the fire is yet to be confirmed and is subject to a forensic investigation,” he explained yesterday.
“However on behalf of Seawork staff and management, we would like to express our sincere condolences to the family of Sivambo who tragically lost his life during the unfortunate incident. We are still not able to provide more information with regards to the issue as we wait for the investigation to conclude,” Sander said.
Crime investigation coordinator for the Erongo Region, Deputy Commissioner Erastus Iikuyu on Sunday said they at this stage suspect an electrical short circuit might have caused the fire, however, an investigation is still ongoing to ascertain the exact cause of the deadly blaze.