Overview
- Authorities and nearby ships responded to a distress signal on Thursday, and a boarding party later found two people deceased on the vessel.
- Australia’s DFAT says it is providing consular assistance to the family and that formal identification has not yet been announced.
- Family members say the victims are likely Port Lincoln sailor Deirdre “Cookie” Sibly and her French travelling companion, Pascal Mahe.
- The pair had been sailing since June after meeting on Réunion Island and were headed toward Durban through the Mozambique Channel.
- Officials have not linked the deaths to piracy as inquiries continue in a region known for maritime crime and challenging sea conditions.