The East New Britain Provincial Administration is working to finalize a date this week for a memorial service honoring the 27 victims who lost their lives in the boating mishap on August 8th, 2026.

East New Britain Provincial Police Commander Chief Superintendent Amanda Kates said arrangements are progressing smoothly, while authorities continue to work to formally identify the victims and complete the coronial investigation into the tragedy.

Speaking to PNG HAUSBUNG this morning, Chief Superintendent Kates said the preliminary reports on the 13 bodies that were recovered and examined by a specialist pathologist are currently with the East New Britain Provincial Magistrate.

“The Senior Provincial Magistrate has the preliminary report and is waiting for, I believe, the memorial service to take place before giving the warrants of the dead to the families so they can collect the bodies,” she said.

“We are so close to finalizing the identity of those 13 bodies.”

Chief Superintendent Kates also revealed that two bodies remain at Kavieng Hospital in New Ireland Province, with investigators believing one may be linked to the boating incident.

She said authorities would first have to confirm the identity of the body before arrangements could be made to transport it back to Rabaul, either by commercial flight or through arrangements coordinated by the provincial administration.

Meanwhile, Chief Superintendent Kates commended the investigators involved in the ongoing coronial investigation, saying they were working to reconstruct the movements and final moments of the 27 victims to establish what happened and determine the circumstances surrounding their deaths.

She said a normal coronial investigation could take a year or more, but the progress being made by the investigation team could see the process completed much sooner.

“We are still working towards having all these completed in the next four to six months, which is incredibly fast,” she said.

Chief Superintendent Kates said investigators will travel to Kavieng shortly to obtain statements from people who recovered the bodies. Those statements will form part of the final coronial report.

The memorial service is expected to be held on a date to be confirmed and announced by the East New Britain Provincial Administration this week.

Following the memorial service, the families are expected to receive the relevant warrants of the recovered bodies, allowing them to take the remains of their loved ones and proceed with final funeral arrangements.

The authorities say the memorial will provide an opportunity for families, communities, and provincial leaders to formally remember and honour the 27 victims while the investigation into the tragedy continues.