A toddler drowned in Fiji on Friday after she was tethered to a boat while her parents cooked dinner, according to a local report.
Thirteen-month-old Māhina Toki died after she fell from her family’s boat, the New Zealand Herald reported Sunday. The child was allegedly tethered into a harness on the deck of the boat while her parents cooked dinner in the galley, according to a Fiji police spokesperson cited by the outlet.
The parents were reportedly unable to find the little girl when they returned to the deck. (RELATED: Boat Slams Into Missouri House And Flips Over, Injuring Eight People)
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The toddler was subsequently discovered floating in the ocean, according to the Herald. She reportedly died despite doctors’ efforts to save her life.
“By the time we could find her, it was too late,” Grace Palos, a “fellow cruiser,” wrote on the family’s Givealittle fundraising page.
“Māhina was a beautiful, happy, smiling child who loved the water and life on the boat,” Palos continued. “Her mother, Kiri said she had eyes that looked into your soul from the day she was born.”
More than $30,000 has been raised in order to help cover flights back to New Zealand, funeral expenses for the parents and more, according to the fundraising page.
“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. The cruisers of Musket Cove are humbly asking for your assistance in raising funds for the family to help cover the cost of flights back home, funeral expenses and anything else Mark & Kiri need as they move forward,” the post reads.