BØMLO (VG) The island community is in mourning after a boy (12) died at sea on Thursday. The parish priest hopes people will continue to drive boats, nevertheless.
Updated just now
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– I am still left with a feeling of unreality. Could it have happened? Is it true?
Parish priest Aksel Lygre tries to put into words the emptiness that characterizes the whole of Bømlo on Friday.
Barely a day ago the small island community lost a boy of 12.
The Westland boy is said to have bumped into a stake, a sea mark showing boat drivers where they must avoid driving, and fell into the water.
Attempts at cardiopulmonary resuscitation were of no use. The boy was pronounced dead at 5:20 p.m.
–On Friday, a small bouquet of red flowers covers the stake in the lake, which is completely still. The water is transparent, the weather is nice.
– I really want to be able to snap my fingers and fix it, but I can’t, says the parish priest.
The sun has just set behind Bømlo town hall. Lygre wears black clothes and a confident, firm handshake.
– It hits hard. Everyone knows everyone, he says.
Although the boy is said to have been driving alone, several other young people were present during the tragedy.
On Thursday evening, the crisis team gathered those who were there to try to get them to talk about what they had experienced, says the parish priest.
– Don’t stop driving the boat
– We tried to say that there can be many different reactions and feelings, and that everything is normal and that it is not dangerous to get angry, irritable or very sad, for example, says Lygre.
– Lack of sleep for a couple of nights, for example, we can tolerate such a situation. It is important to give an understanding of what can happen, and to ensure that they get food and drink. We try to see them and show care.
– How would you describe their condition?
– I think the young people react in very healthy and good ways. They cry a little, they are quiet, they put things into words, they tell. There are great parents who are there and keep them close and support them, he says.
Despite the tragedy, the parish priest hopes that the islanders will continue to use boats.
– To put it like it was said yesterday at the meeting, don’t stop driving the boat. Be careful, but don’t stop boating. We hope that will be the outcome, he says.
– The sea is the lifeblood of society
Bømlo is a small Westland municipality consisting of a number of islets, islands and reefs and approximately 12,000 inhabitants.
– The sea is a bit of the lifeblood of Bømlo society, says Bømlo mayor Sammy Olsen (Sp).
–– Many young people start to be at sea early, driving outboard motors and using boats. So when someone is taken from us so suddenly, it affects people. It does. It stops a bit, he says.
– It feels pointless.
– Will you take any measures to prevent similar accidents in the future?
– I do not know exactly what the cause of this accident was, because it is under investigation. (..) And until we find out, we can’t do anything.
Police are investigating the case as an accident, but said on Friday it was too early to conclude on the cause.
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