UPDATE: The two Yanchep women stranded on a Bahamas island have managed to make their way to Miami.
Shakira Richardson’s mother Alanah Ashfield said the two had made it to the mainland and were at a hotel near the airport after the high-end Fyre Festival fell apart.
“They’re out now, so that’s the main thing,” Ms Ashfield said.
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READ NOW“I’ll be talking to Shakira tomorrow. They didn’t get any help from the organisers at all but the important thing is that they’re okay.”
Ms Ashfield said she was relieved the pair had made the journey to Miami after being stranded on the island without food, water or electricity.
TWO Yanchep women are stranded on a remote Bahamas island without food, water or electricity after a high-end music festival dissolved into chaos.
The Fyre Festival was advertised as a high-end event featuring acts such as Blink-182.
The festival’s website describes it as “a cultural moment created from a blend of music, art, and food.”
But family members of Shakira Richardson and her friend Alannah Baldwin, both from the Yanchep area, are stressed and worried after discovering the dream holiday the two women planned has turned into a nightmare.
Laila Afifi said her sister Shakira had flown to Miami with Alannah before boarding a second flight to the Bahamas.
“When I spoke to Shakira she said that the luggage was left in Miami because they were told they weren’t allowed to bring any luggage with them,” she said.
“They rocked up to the venue and were told that their tents weren’t ready. Seven hours later they had the same news and then found out everything had been cancelled.
“There’s no water, no electricity, very minimal wi-fi or internet access.
“Were just kind of freaking out because they’re in the middle of nowhere.”
Ms Afifi said that the family was particularly concerned about Shakira because she was asthmatic and they were unsure if she would receive appropriate medical help if needed.
Alanah Ashfield, Shakira’s mother, said she had been lucky to hear from her daughter via Messenger, however she said her phone battery would run out eventually.
“She’s pretty pissed off to be honest,” she said.
“They spent a lot of money getting over there and now it looks like everything has just been cancelled.”
Ms Afifi said the family had been in contact with the Australian embassy, but were yet to hear back from them since morning had broken in the Bahamas.
“There’s a lot of people in the same boat,” she said.
“They paid a lot of money for the tickets.
“I just want to say to the organisers – what the hell?”
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has not yet confirmed how many Australians are caught up in the chaos.
The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism has released a statement on Twitter expressing “extreme disappointment” with the way things have been handled at the festival.
The statement said organisers “did not have the capacity to execute an event of this scale.”
The organisers have not responded to calls for comment.
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