New Zealand toddler drowns after falling off boat while parents cooked dinner in Fiji

A 13-month-old infant from New Zealand drowned after falling from her family’s vessel in Fiji, according to a report by the New Zealand Herald. The child called Mahina Tok died after falling from the Catamaran Kalamari, which was docked in Musket Cove in western Fiji.

A Fiji spokesperson told the media portal that the child was strapped into a harness on the deck and was watching a movie while her parents, Mark and Kiri, were cooking dinner in the gallery.

When the parents returned to the deck, they could not find their child, so they immediately began looking for her. The toddler was found floating in the sea, and attempts to revive her did not work. An investigation is underway. It is believed that the toddler was tethered to the boat but worked free and ended up in the water and reportedly drowned.

“By the time we could find her, it was too late,” a family friend said.

A large number of people rushed to assist the family. Musket Cove Resort manager Joe Mar says there is a huge sense of shock across the island. “The family rushed into shore to seek help and a lot of people rushed to their aid, but unfortunately couldn’t revive her,” he said.

The manager told the media outlet that the family has now moved to Denaru and Fiji police are now supporting them. Island Cruising NZ owner Viki Moore said a number of their participants rushed to help the family.

She said it was common practice when sailing to be tethered to the boat. “I don’t know what happened in this case, but it is very sad,” Moore said.

“Mahina was a beautiful, happy, smiling child who loved the water and life on the boat,” a family friend wrote. “Her mother, Kiri, said she had eyes that looked into your soul from the [day] she was born.”

The child’s parents are now trying to recover from the trauma and head back to New Zealand.