A young girl was discovered drowned after being fastened to a catamaran while her parents made dinner.
Mhina Toki, a 13-month-old toddler, died Friday after falling from the catamaran Kalamari, which was parked in Musket Cove in western Fiji.
According to the New Zealand Herald, the kid was tied into a harness on the deck and watching a movie while her parents, Mark and Kiri, were making dinner in the galley.
When the girl’s parents returned, they were unable to locate her.
It’s believed she got loose and ended up overboard.
A post on the crowdfunding page Givealittle by Grace Palos stated that Mahina was tethered to the boat and was watching a movie when she “worked free and found the water.”
“By the time we could find her, it was too late.”
The little girl was described as a “beautiful, happy, smiling child who loved the water and life on the boat.”
The girl’s mother, Kiri, was cited as saying she had eyes that “looked into your soul from the day she was born.”
“Mahina’s parents, Mark and Kiri, are in the process of picking up their lives and traveling back to their home of Great Barrier Island, New Zealand.”
Over $18,000 has already been raised to support the family with the cost of flights home and funeral expenses.
Fijian police are investigating the death.According to the New Zealand Herald, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade was informed of the tragedy and was giving consular assistance.
The Givealittle post said, “To the beloved Mhina, may you forever live in peace, splashing with joy somewhere in the sea.”
