A New Zealand family is mourning the loss of their 13-month-old child, Māhina Toki, after a tragic boating incident that occurred in Fiji on July 28. The little girl’s parents were cooking a meal in the galley of their 10-metre catamaran Kalamari when Māhina freed herself from her harness and fell overboard.
The family docked their catamaran at Musket Cove in Malolo Lailai, Fiji two days prior after sailing all the way from Great Barrier Reef, New Zealand. The parents strapped their child into a harness on the deck and the little girl was watching a movie while her parents cooked in the galley – but then tragedy struck.
When the parents returned to the deck, their little girl was nowhere to be found. They searched the entire boat, but nothing came of it until they looked in the water – Māhina was floating in the sea all by herself. They retrieved her body and rushed to shore, where others came to their aid in hopes of saving the girl.
Despite doctors and other medical staff rushing to the family’s aid, their attempts at saving the girl were unsuccessful. Musket Cove Resort manager Joe Mar expressed shock at the tragic incident, while Island Cruising New Zealand owner Viki Moore detailed how traumatizing it was for everyone who bore witness.