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Daily Record
27-05-2025
- Daily Record
Missing couple abandoned in shark-infested waters left chilling diary entries behind
Tom and Eileen Lonergan were an adventurous couple who had travelled the world together and had always loved to scuba dive. But when they headed to the Great Barrier Reef in 1998, they would never return For many, experiencing Australia's Great Barrier Reef is the ultimate holiday of a lifetime. Located off the coast of Queensland, this natural treasure, which is one of the world's seven wonders, attracts visitors from across the globe. During January 1998, Tom and Eileen Lonergan, an American couple, boarded a scuba diving vessel known as the Outer Edge, to marvel at the reef's splendour up close. Unfortunately, they would never return to dry land. Just like the other passengers on board, the Lonergans spent over 30 minutes exploring the ocean's depths, taking in the breathtaking coral and diverse marine life. However, when they resurfaced, their boat was nowhere in sight. It was later revealed that the vessel's crew hadn't noticed the couple's absence and had sailed off without them. It took two days for the realisation to sink in, at which point rescue teams rushed to scour the shark-prone diving spot, but there was no sign of 33-year-old Tom or 28-year-old Eileen. As the search operation progressed, detectives discovered the couple's personal journals in their hostel room in Cairns, a city in the north of Australia's east coast. Their contents were unsettling, to say the least, reports the Irish Star. In his diary Tom wrote: "I feel as though my life is complete and I'm ready to die," a disturbing entry dated six months prior to the couple's disappearance. He added: "As far as I can tell, from here my life can only get worse. It has peaked and it's all downhill from here until my funeral." Eileen voiced her concerns over her husband's seemingly indifferent stance on death in one of her final diary entries, penned just 16 days before the pair went missing. She wrote: "Tom hopes to die a quick and fairly painless death and he hopes it happens soon. Tom's not suicidal, but he's got a death wish that could lead him to what he desires, and I could get caught in that." The couple had tied the knot in their hometown of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, nine years before embarking on their fateful journey, having first crossed paths at Louisiana State University. Their shared zest for adventure led them to join the US Peace Corps in 1995, where they were tasked with teaching roles in Tuvalu and Fiji. In January 1998, Tom and Elaine set off for Australia - the ultimate destination on their grand adventure before intending to head back home to the States. On Sunday, January 25, they hopped on a coach for an hour's ride from Cairns to Port Douglas. Upon arrival, they embarked on the Outer Edge for the expedition to St Crispin Reef, some 38 miles offshore. They undertook two 40-minute diving sessions and were gearing up for a third dive at a spot known as Fish City. The locale was notorious for its abundant shark population around the reef, as confirmed by local fisherman Mick Bird, who was out at sea, not too far away that same day. Fishing in the vicinity, Mick Bird said: '"Every time we threw a line, we'd pull in a shark - they should rename that place Shark City," the seafarer quipped. When British scuba diver Bryan Brogdan appreciated a mammoth clam nestled in the coral next to the Lonergans, he was unaware it would be the couple's final sighting. After marvelling at the underwater spectacle together, Bryan swam back to the vessel, leaving the Lonergans submerged below for longer than the dive boat personnel had advised. At 3pm, all divers were expected to convene on deck, prompting Geoffrey 'Jack' Nairn, former skipper of the Outer Edge, to ask his crewman George Pyrohiw for a headcount. This routine safety check wasn't executed accurately, resulting in a grave oversight. The sequence that unfolded after the Lonergans didn't resurface constituted a succession of blunders, culminating in an astonishing timespan of over two days before anyone realised they were absent. As George Pyrohiw tallied the divers, two reentered the water to snap last-second photographs, causing a miscount. Pyrohiw recounted to officials that he informed the captain there were merely 24 passengers aboard rather than the initial 26, to which the captain said: "And two in the water makes 26". Though Geoffrey Nairn contests this account, the tragic result remained unchanged. Even after the Outer Edge arrived back at Port Douglas that evening and everyone had disembarked, two unclaimed dive bags left onboard did not raise suspicions. These belongings were just relocated elsewhere on the boat with the assumption being the owners would eventually ring up upon realising their mistake. In addition to this oversight, an inventory check revealed that the vessel was short of two air tanks and two weight belts, yet no one raised any concerns. Norm Stigant, the driver responsible for transporting passengers back to their hotels, informed his superior that the Lonergans had not shown up for the ride - but he was told not to worry and eventually left without them. As darkness fell, the American couple found themselves alone on the reef, with no one seemingly aware of the peril they were in. The next day, the boat returned to St Crispin Reef with a fresh set of passengers, its crew still oblivious to the tragedy that had unfolded. Divers plunged into the water to admire the marine life, and soon two weight-belts were recovered from the ocean floor. Astonishingly, this was another instance that should have triggered alarm amongst the crew - yet, they did nothing. Another day passed, and the boat carried a new group of passengers before returning to Port Douglas for the second time since the Lonergans had failed to reboard. It was only at this point that the captain noticed the unclaimed dive bags still on the boat and decided to open them, where he discovered identification documents. Amongst the items left in the bags were a shirt Tom Lonergan had worn on the day, and a wallet. Finally, Geoffrey alerted the authorities. The police quickly found out that the couple's credit cards had not been used and a massive search operation was initiated. However, it proved futile. Ten days on, Tom's buoyancy jacket, bearing his name on the pocket, was discovered 50 miles north of St Crispin Reef. Additional items, including a shredded wetsuit, were also found. Half a year later, in July, what was thought to be the couple's dive board turned up roughly 90 miles north of St Crispin Reef, retrieved by a fisherman. These boards are typically utilised for diver communication under the sea. The board hauled in by the fisherman bore a desperate message that stated: "Monday, January 26, 1998. 8am. To anyone who can help us. We have been abandoned here by the Outer Edge. Please help us or we will die. Tom and Eileen Lonergan." There has been much debate among experts over whether this find was an authentic belonging or a heartless prank. The remains of the American pair have yet to be located, and various hypotheses about their fate post-departure from the reef emerged during the investigation and the coroner's inquest that followed. Detective Sergeant Paul Priest remarked at the inquest, some months after the Lonergans vanished, that he initially regarded the diaries found in their hostel as "chillingly bizarre" and "prophetic", but ultimately he wrote them off as the private reflections of a contemplative couple. The Lonergans' vanishing act served as the muse for the film Open Water, albeit set in the Bahamas rather than the Great Barrier Reef. Striving for authenticity, the director subjected the actors to a harrowing experience to evoke the terror and panic the couple would have endured upon realising they had been abandoned by the boat. Real sharks were allowed to encircle the actors, and cameras were attached to buoys to capture the drama from the eye-level perspective of the audience. Tuna chunks were thrown into the sea to deter the sharks from attacking the cast.
Irish Daily Mirror
27-05-2025
- Irish Daily Mirror
Missing couple abandoned in shark-infested waters left sinister diary entries
For many, a trip to Australia's Great Barrier Reef is the journey of a lifetime. Known as one of the seven natural wonders of the world, this cherished destination is situated off Queensland's coast. Back in January 1998, two unsuspecting Americans, Tom and Eileen Lonergan, hopped aboard a scuba dive boat called the Outer Edge to soak up the splendour of the reef. Tragically, they would never return to terra firma. Like their fellow divers, the pair spent over 30 minutes marvelling at the underwater paradise, swimming amidst the stunning coral and sea life. However, upon returning to the surface, they discovered the dive boat had vanished. It was later revealed the boat's crew had failed to realise the couple were missing and had left without them. Their absence went unnoticed for a full 48 hours, and by the time rescue teams rushed to the shark-ridden dive site, Tom, aged 33, and Eileen, aged 28, had disappeared without a trace. As the search continued, investigators found the couple's personal diaries back at their hostel in Cairns, a city in the north of Australia's east coast. The entries they uncovered were deeply unsettling, reports the Irish Star. Tom had writte a haunting message six months before their disappearance: "I feel as though my life is complete and I'm ready to die," he wrote. "As far as I can tell, from here my life can only get worse. It has peaked and it's all downhill from here until my funeral." Eileen's worries about her husband Tom's casual attitude to death were documented in one of her last diary entries, just 16 days before the pair mysteriously disappeared. She wrote: "Tom hopes to die a quick and fairly painless death and he hopes it happens soon. Tom's not suicidal, but he's got a death wish that could lead him to what he desires, and I could get caught in that." The couple had tied the knot back in their hometown of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, having first crossed paths at Louisiana State University, nine years before their baffling excursion. Both thrill-seekers, in 1995 they embarked upon a journey with the US Peace Corps, teaching in the distant locales of Tuvalu and Fiji. Come January 1998, Tom and Elaine set off for Australia – their grand escapade's ultimate leg before their return to the States was on the cards. On Sunday, January 25, they hopped on a coach in Cairns for the hour's trip up to Port Douglas. Upon reaching their destination, they set sail aboard the Outer Edge, bound for St Crispin Reef, some 38 miles out to sea. Following two exhilarating 40-minute dives, they geared up for a third stint underwater at a spot dubbed Fish City, notorious for its shark-heavy waters, recalled local angler Mick Bird, who was fishing just a few miles away at the time. Bird recounted there were so many sharks around the reef, saying: '"Every time we threw a line, we'd pull in a shark - they should rename that place Shark City." British diver Bryan Brogdan was utterly unaware when he admired a giant clam during a dive with the Lonergans that it would be the tragic last sighting of the couple. He parted ways with them to head back to the boat, while the Lonergans opted to spend more time underwater than the dive boat crew had instructed. It was 3pm – the time everyone should've been accounted for on board the Outer Edge when former skipper Geoffrey 'Jack' Nairn requested George Pyrohiw, one of his crew members, to perform a headcount. This safety measure, crucially relied upon, was regrettably mishandled leading to the deadly oversight. A serious chain of blunders started once it became apparent the Lonergans hadn't rejoined the vessel. In the middle of the headcount by George Pyrohiw, two divers plunged back into the water to snap some last-minute shots. In recounting events to investigators, Pyrohiw noted that he informed the captain there were only 24 individuals present instead of the full complement of 26, to which the captain responded: "And two in the water makes 26". Although Geoffrey Nairn disputes this account, the catastrophic misunderstanding remained. Upon returning to Port Douglas later that day and offloading the guests, it went unnoticed by the crew that two dive bags were left aboard – not sparking immediate concern. The crews' erroneous conclusion was that the neglected baggage would be reclaimed once its owners realised they'd forgotten their belongings. In addition to this blunder, an inventory revealed that the vessel was short of two air tanks and two weight belts, yet no one raised any questions. Norm Stigant, the driver responsible for ferrying passengers back to their hotels, informed his boss that the Lonergans hadn't turned up for the ride - but he was told not to fret and eventually left without them. As darkness fell, the American couple found themselves alone on the reef - with no one seemingly aware of the peril they were in. The next day, the boat returned to St Crispin Reef with a fresh set of passengers - its crew still oblivious to the tragedy that had unfolded. Divers plunged into the water to admire the marine life, and within a short span, two weight-belts were recovered from the ocean floor. Astonishingly, this was yet another instance that should have triggered alarm for the crew - instead, they did nothing. Another day passed, and the boat carried a new batch of passengers before returning to Port Douglas for the second time since the Lonergans had failed to reboard. It was finally at this juncture that the captain noticed the unclaimed dive bags still on the boat and opened them, discovering ID documents inside. There were several other items left in the bags, including a shirt Tom Lonergan had worn that day, and a wallet. At last, Geoffrey contacted the authorities. The police quickly discovered that the couple's credit cards hadn't been used and a massive search operation was initiated. Some of Tom's belongings, including his buoyancy jacket with his name clearly marked on it, were discovered 50 miles north of St Crispin Reef a mere 10 days after the incident. Additional items turned up shortly afterwards, such as a shredded wetsuit. Then, in the month of July which was six months later, a fisherman stumbled upon a dive board, thought to belong to the couple, about 90 miles north of the same reef. Dive boards serve as a way for divers to communicate beneath the waves. This particular one bore a desperate message that had faded over time. The haunting note read: "Monday, January 26, 1998. 8am. To anyone who can help us. We have been abandoned here by the Outer Edge. Please help us or we will die. Tom and Eileen Lonergan." The question of the board's authenticity has been hotly debated, with some considering it could be the work of a sick prankster. To this day, the fate of the American couple remains a mystery, their bodies never found, and numerous theories have surfaced concerning the events following their abandonment as outlined during the investigation and the coronial inquiry that followed. Detective Sergeant Paul Priest made a statement at the inquest, months after they vanished, describing the diaries found in their hostel room as "chillingly bizarre" and appeared "prophetic". He, however, later concluded the writings were simply reflective thoughts from a deeply introspective couple. The Lonergans' tragic disappearance served as the inspiration for the film Open Water, which was set in the Bahamas rather than the Great Barrier Reef. In an effort to make the movie as authentic as possible, the director subjected the actors to a terrifying ordeal to truly capture the fear and panic the couple would have experienced upon realising they had been left behind. Real sharks were allowed to circle the actors, and cameras were attached to buoys to provide viewers with a first-hand perspective of the drama. Tuna chunks were thrown into the sea to deter the sharks from attacking the cast.
Daily Record
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Couple's chilling final moments after being abandoned in shark-infested waters on holiday
Tom and Eileen Lonergan were last seen diving near their boat tour on January 25, 1998, before they were never heard from again. Their disappearance was the inspiration behind a huge film after they were abandoned in the water It's been 26 years since the chilling disappearance of Tom and Eileen Lonergan. The American couple's vanishing act became the chilling inspiration for a major film after they were last spotted on a diving excursion near their tour boat on January 25, 1998, before falling off the radar completely. The mystery of their absence remains unresolved, leaving a trail of unanswered queries. Tom and Eileen set out from Port Douglas in Northern Australia for what was meant to be an adventure holiday but met with a catastrophic end. Left adrift in shark-ridden waters at around 3pm, some 40 miles off the Queensland coast, theirs is a harrowing tale that eventually sparked a hit movie. This expedition was meant to mark the pinnacle of excitement. Having completed a two-year stint with the US Peace Corps in Tuvalu and Fiji, the Lonergans planned a visit to the famed Great Barrier Reef, reports the Mirror US. The pair, who had been married for ten years, initially found love during their university days in Louisiana, as featured in a report by the Daily Star. Eileen's zeal for scuba diving gradually enthralled Tom. Their venture to Queensland was intended to celebrate their combined passions, yet it ultimately signalled the end of their union. The voyage, however, wasn't without foreboding signs. An unsettling note in Eileen's diary just two weeks before their holiday hinted at Tom harbouring a "death wish". She wrote: "He hopes to die a quick and painless death, and he hopes it happens soon. Tom's not suicidal, but he's got a death wish that could lead him to what he desires and I could get caught in that." Their dream trip to the Great Barrier Reef in January 1998 swiftly descended into a horror story. The couple was left behind by their tour vessel, the Outer Edge, as their group returned to Port Douglas unaware, marooning them in treacherous waters frequented by massive, lethal tiger sharks along the Queensland coastline. Last sighted alive 12 meters beneath the ocean surface, admiring the underwater wonders they had yearned for, the Lonergans surfaced to find the Outer Edge had vanished. Shockingly, it took two days before anyone realised the pair were absent. The alarming discovery of their absence was made when skipper and boat owner Jack Nairn stumbled upon their possessions, including a dive bag, wallet, and documents aboard the boat. An urgent yet fruitless search was initiated and over time macabre hints emerged. Items surfaced such as Eileen's undamaged wetsuit, personal flotation devices labelled with their names, and a slate message written the following morning after their disappearance. The haunting final message they left begged for help: "To anyone W.H.O. can help us: We have been abandoned on A[gin]court Reef by MV Outer Edge 25 Jan 98 3pm. Please help us [come] to rescue us before we die. Help! ! !". The eerie situation, which echoes the film Open Water, suggested a shark attack was unlikely for the Lonergans, and as time went on, hope for their rescue waned. The incident sparked an international conflict between Australia and the United States, with legal counsel for Outer Edge insinuating the couple may have vanished by choice, referencing (leaked) diary entries to back up their assertions. Suspicions of suicide or even a murder-suicide planned by Tom emerged but were strongly refuted by the Lonergan family, who dismissed such accusations as defamatory and ludicrous. Ultimately, accountability was ascribed to the Outer Edge, with Nairn conceding to negligence. In his conclusive remarks at the investigation into the disappearance, Coroner Noel Nunan unequivocally blamed skipper Nairn for failing to guarantee passenger safety. He said: "The skipper should be vigilant for the safety of passengers and ensure safety measures are carried out." He added: "When you combine the number of mistakes and the severity of the mistakes I am satisfied a reasonable jury would find Mr Nairn guilty of manslaughter on criminal evidence." Though Nairn was exonerated by the jurors, his firm, Outer Edge Boat Company, foundered following the controversy. The case brought about statutory amendments in Queensland, making it compulsory for dive boat skippers to perform headcounts of all divers on board. The chilling disappearance of the Lonergans was the muse for the 2003 hit film Open Water, portraying a young American pair left stranded after an ocean dive. Open Water struck a chord with viewers, especially in the US where it grossed $30 million on a shoestring budget. Yet, even the worldwide repercussions of the Lonergans' vanishing - the political upheaval, the legal disputes, and the Hollywood portrayal - couldn't bring them back to land.
India Today
14-05-2025
- Politics
- India Today
Indian-American lawmaker helps Virginia colleges get $55-million booster shot
A proposal by an Indian-American lawmaker, JJ Singh, to allocate $55 million in tuition relief for students at Virginia's public colleges and universities has now been signed into a move, through the state budget, would allocate money to ease the financial strain of higher education and mitigate growing student debt."I am proud that my proposal for $55 million in university tuition relief was included in the final budget released earlier this week," JJ Singh wrote on "Now, more than ever, we need to invest in our next generation and ensure every Virginia student can achieve the American dream," he SINGH HIGHLIGHTS SOARING TUITION CRISIS IN US"When I went to the University of Virginia, tuition, room, and board cost just $15,000 per year; now it's over $40,000. The rise in tuition is an epidemic plaguing the entire Commonwealth, and the country, for that matter, said."Students and families can't afford it. For any parents who can help, they have to choose whether to help their children or fund their own retirement," he $55 million in tuition assistance will support Virginia's public universities and community colleges, aiming to ease student debt and improve access to higher has prioritised making higher education more affordable since assuming son of Indian immigrants, Singh made history as the first turbaned Sikh to serve in the US Peace Corps and previously held a role in the Barack Obama administration's Office of Management and Budget, according to JJ Singh defeated Republican Ram Venkatachalam in the special election earlier this year in January for a Virginia House of Delegates seat.
The Guardian
26-02-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
‘Like being on the Titanic': US aid workers dread bleak future after Trump cuts
In a village in Lesotho, a small country in southern Africa, Sasha teaches hundreds of children at a local primary school. A significant part of her work as an education volunteer at the US Peace Corps is to educate her students about HIV prevention. Almost a quarter of Lesotho's 2.3 million population lives with HIV, giving it the second-highest level of HIV infection in the world. At the beginning of February, Donald Trump halted virtually all US foreign aid. The 90-day pause left many agencies scrambling to follow the new guidance, affecting programs such as the one Sasha works for. In Lesotho, she and other volunteers work to mitigate the effects of HIV/Aids stigma through grant-funded programs like a soccer camp. All of that stopped. Volunteers were instructed to stop any HIV-related prevention programming, according to emails reviewed by the Guardian. Many families also rely upon Pepfar– the President's Emergency Plan for Aids Relief – which provides HIV/Aids medication for more than 20 million people worldwide. Sasha said that Pepfar-focused nurses at the local clinic were told to stop coming to work. Parents of the kids asked Sasha, who like others interviewed for this story has only given her first name due to a fear of retaliation, whether medicines would continue to be freely available. 'My [Lesotho] co-workers say, 'don't you work for the government? What's going on?' I'm scared and sad too, but I don't know what's going on either,' she said. In the wake of Trump's executive order, more than 12,000 USAid workers have been laid off or furloughed. The 90-day stop-work order has also dominoed into an estimated 100,000 global job losses for federal contractors who depended on USAid funding, according to the tracker USAid Stop-Work. Many of these professionals working in Washington DC and abroad are asking themselves if a career helping others around the world in international development is still possible. They worked on projects such as supporting women's education, HIV prevention, or democracy-building in conflict zones for US allies. Now, they are unsure what the future holds and are reconciling the ideals of American soft power with their new reality. Marissa C worked at a private USAid-implementing partner company in Washington DC, focusing on economic and trade growth policy research in conflict zones. When Trump issued the executive order on inauguration day in January, she saw 'the writing on the wall' and began messaging people on LinkedIn looking for jobs. She and her colleagues also scoured Project 2025, which experts see as the blueprint for the Trump administration. She wrote justifications about how the projects she oversaw aligned with the new administration's goals. Yet within two weeks of Trump's order, everything they worked on was put on pause. A project in Colombia that helped to integrate Venezuelan refugees was cancelled. She tried to obtain exceptions on humanitarian grounds for other projects, but they were rarely successful because there were not enough people remaining at USAid to process requests or payments. She and other colleagues have been furloughed since 10 February. 'It felt like being on the Titanic, and we were all the violinists playing as this ship was going down,' she said. Marissa C had tried unsuccessfully to break into the international development sector for seven years before deciding to attend graduate school, working multiple unpaid internships and side jobs to improve her résumé. 'I feel like I just started in this field, and now it's being ripped away for me, which is the hardest part,' she said. She currently has almost $170,000 in student loan debt. She plans on applying to jobs in local economic development and moving back home in the Pacific north-west. 'You have to be incredibly dedicated over years and years and years of your life in order to get here. This makes the people that work in specifically US foreign assistance some of the most hard-working, dedicated, kind and motivated people that I've ever met,' Marissa C said. Before being furloughed, Nathan worked as a programming associate at a non-partisan non-profit, which he did not wish to name, partially funded by the National Endowment for Democracy (NED). In the 1980s, Congress created the NED to strengthen democracies and American soft power during the cold war. Last week, two-thirds of the NED's DC-based staff was furloughed. Nathan conducted research focused on promoting democracy and parliamentary monitoring in Asia, such as helping non-profits set up by the Hong Kong diaspora, many of whom had fled after crackdowns of pro-democracy protests since 2020 by the Chinese government. 'We thought that a lot of it would fall in line with the administration's posturing, especially around China,' Nathan said. 'They wanted to dismantle it regardless.' He said he would probably return to bartending to make ends meet while he figures out his next steps. He feels more fortunate than other more senior colleagues, many of whom have kids to support and have lived in DC for years. 'I'm only a year and a half into my professional life. This sucks so bad, but it's not life destroying. For older people, it's life destroying,' he said. A lot of foreign aid work is sensitive to disruptions. Those being treated through the Pepfar program in Lesotho, for instance, need monthly pills or shots to prevent HIV from developing into Aids. The treatments also reduce the rate of transmissions from person to person and from a mother to an unborn baby. 'It's really important that you're taking your meds,' Sasha said. 'That kind of outreach is probably no longer happening, and that is going to cause issues with medication adherence and with more people contracting HIV.' This week, Sasha said Pepfar nurses had resumed their clinical work in her village due to an emergency humanitarian waiver. But she and other Peace Corps volunteers were still not allowed to teach about HIV. She said she didn't know why. While her service in Lesotho does not end for a few months, she is already reconsidering whether to enter into the foreign service or development sectors in DC. She is the only American that most people in her village have encountered and said she had seen firsthand the positive impact soft power programs can have on people's impression of the US. abroad. 'Watching this drastic shift away in the past three weeks from soft power and soft diplomacy, and to just completely forgo it after decades and decades of work by mostly Republican governments in the States, is so shocking to me,' she said.
