Australian minister promises to release boat blast images

CANBERRA, Sept. 5 — Australian Defense Minister John Faulkner on Saturday promised to release all video, photographs and the report surrounding a blast aboard an asylum seeker boat that left five people dead in April.

Faulkner said he would release the material "at the earliest possible opportunity", once current investigations by Northern Territory authorities had been completed.

The boat SIEV 36 that carried 47 asylum seekers and two crew was intercepted by the Navy in waters off Australia's northwestern coast on April 15. The boat was being taken to Christmas Island the next day when it exploded near Ashmore Reef, killing five of those on board and injuring more than 40.

The Weekend Australian on Saturday reported that sources who had seen footage of the early morning disaster said asylum seekers struggling in the ocean after the blast were repelled and kicked from inflatable rescue boats.

Faulkner told the Australian Associated Press that the video, photographs and the Defence report on the incident would be released.

"While there is an ongoing police investigation into the loss of lives on SIEV 36, at the earliest possible opportunity I will release all the Defence reports into the incident and I will release Defence's complete photographic and video record of the incident," the minister said. (PNA/Xinhua)

DCT/rsm

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