Monday, April 8, 2024 -At least 94 people have died, including children, and 26 others are missing after a ferry boat capsized off the northern coast of Mozambique.
The boat was carrying people fleeing the
cholera outbreak that is ravaging the East African nation, state broadcaster
TVM reported.
The vessel was an overloaded fishing boat and was not licensed to transport
people, Lourenco Machado, an administrator of INSTRASMAR, said on state
television on Monday.
“On Sunday we registered a maritime
incident where at least 94 people died when a barge carrying 130 people
capsized. We have recovered 94 bodies and 26 are missing,” he said.
The boat was ferrying people from Lunga in
Nampula province to Mozambique Island, he said, adding that initial reports
indicated that it was hit by a tidal wave.
The passengers were fleeing a cholera
outbreak, said state broadcaster TVM, citing another local maritime
administrator
“Because the boat was overcrowded and
unsuited to carry passengers, it ended up sinking,” he told the BBC, adding
that many children were among the dead.
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