At least 94 dead in Mozambique after unlicensed ferry boat capsizes, official says
At least 94 individuals, including children, have tragically lost their lives, with 26 still missing, following the capsizing of a ferry boat off the northern coast of Mozambique, as reported by an official from the country's Maritime Transport Institute (INTRASMAR).
The vessel in question, an overloaded fishing boat, was not authorized to transport passengers, revealed Lourenco Machado, an administrator of INSTRASMAR, during a state television broadcast on Monday.
"Yesterday, a maritime tragedy occurred resulting in the loss of at least 94 lives when a barge, carrying 130 individuals, capsized. To date, 94 bodies have been recovered, and 26 individuals remain unaccounted for," he announced.
The boat was reportedly transporting passengers from Lunga in Nampula province to Mozambique Island when the incident occurred, possibly due to being struck by a tidal wave, according to initial reports.
State broadcaster TVM, citing a local maritime administrator, mentioned that the passengers were fleeing from a cholera outbreak. This sentiment was echoed by Jaime Neto, secretary of state for Nampula province, who informed the British Broadcasting Corp (BBC) that the passengers were indeed escaping a cholera crisis.
"Due to overcrowding and the boat's unsuitability for passenger transport, it tragically sank," he stated to the BBC, highlighting the significant number of children among the deceased.
Various videos circulated on social media platforms depicted numerous bodies strewn across a beach, with some individuals seen carrying the lifeless forms of children. Reuters has not yet verified these videos.
Mozambique, alongside other nations in Southern Africa, has been combatting cholera outbreaks since the previous year, adding a layer of tragedy to this already devastating maritime incident.
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