Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Two people lost their lives Monday afternoon during a tragic accident between Auasi and Aunuu island after an alia boat carrying about 20 passengers capsized in rough seas, according to reports received by Samoa News from people of Aunu’u.

The two victims were both men in their mid 60s. One of them worked at the American Samoa Department of Education School Lunch Program, while the other victim was an employee of the Silva Construction company, who worked as a heavy equipment operator on Aunu’u.

The National Weather Service on Monday had issued high surf and small craft advisories for territorial waters after the conditions caused high waves and choppy seas.

A source from Aunu’u told Samoa News that the incident happened when high waves hit the alia boat a few minutes after leaving the Auasi wharf heading to Aunu’u island. The Aunuu Aumaga reacted very quickly when they received the news after a young boy who was on the Auasi wharf called his mother in Aunuu to relay the information and asked for help.

An alia boat with members of the Aunuu Aumaga rushed to the location where the incident took place — in the middle of the passage between Auasi and Aunu’u — and discovered the passengers, all who had been in the rough waters for almost an hour.

Most of the passengers, along with one of the victims, who was unresponsive at the time of the rescue, were taken onto the Aumaga’s alia boat and immediately transported to Aunuu island.

Not all of the passengers in the rough waters could be rescued at one time due to the size of the Aumaga’s alia. According to people of Aunuu, two men were left behind in the rough seas to await a second trip to rescue them. They were the pastor of the Congregational Christian Church of American Samoa in Aunu’u and another man, who later became the second victim in this tragic accident.

According to sources, the pastor instructed the Aumaga to transport the passengers to Aunuu while he tried to assist the man who was with him — both still in the ocean battling the rough seas. The team wanted to rescue the pastor first, but he declined saying that others should be taken first — including a 4-year old child.

Reports from Aunuu island stated that the pastor and the other man were waiting in the sea for over two hours before the DPS Marine Patrol boat finally arrived to help.

The pastor was rushed to the LBJ Hospital, while EMS personnel applied CPR to the second victim in an effort to revive him, however, it was too late.

Both of the victims were pronounced dead upon arrival at LBJ Hospital.

The pastor was admitted to the hospital and was discharged early yesterday morning. A family member told Samoa News yesterday that he is in stable condition.

All of the passengers’ personal belongings including their shopping was lost.

As a result of this deadly accident, people of Aunuu are calling for ASG to act now and do something to improve transportation to and from island so that this type of deadly tragedy does not repeat itself in the future.