At least 94 people died, including children, and 26 are missing after a ferry boat capsized off the northern coast of Mozambique, an official from the country’s Maritime Transport Institute ( INTRASMAR ) said.
The vehicle was an saturated fishing boat and was not licensed to carry people, Lourenco Machado, an executive of INSTRASMAR, said on condition broadcast on Monday.
” On Sunday, we discovered a maritime incident where 130 persons were thrown from a boat, killing at least 94 people. We have recovered 94 body and 26 are missing”, he said.
He claimed that the vessel was taking passengers from Lunga in Nampula territory to Mozambique Island, adding that preliminary studies suggested that it had been hit by a coastal wave.
The people were fleeing a cholera outbreak, said express journalist TVM, citing another native sea executive.
Jaime Neto, secretary of state for Nampula province, also said that the passengers were fleeing cholera, according to the British Broadcasting Corp ( BBC ).
” Because the vessel was crowded and unfit to have customers, it ended up sinking”, he told the BBC, adding that some kids were among the dead.
Some bodies were discovered on a shore and some people were seen carrying children’s systems in video posted on social media X.
Reuters was unable to promptly check these videos.
Since last year, cholera epidemics have been reported in Mozambique and other Southern African nations.
