Commodore Webb did not know the medical conditions of the seven, except that they were “pretty dehydrated” when they were found.
Credit
New Zealand Defense Force, via Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
He said the survivors had told rescuers that the ferry split in two and sank, and that they were able to use the dinghy because it detached from the larger vessel. Earlier in the trip, the ferry, the MV Butiraoi, had hit an atoll, forcing it to undergo repairs to its propeller shaft.
Despite information from the survivors about where the ferry sank, Commodore Webb said…
