At least 94 people, many of them believed to be children, were killed when a makeshift ferry sank off Mozambique’s northern coast on Sunday, local officials said.
The boat was carrying 130 people and capsized on Lunga Island and Mozambique Island, part of Nampula province off Mozambique’s northern coast, Lorenco Machado, director of the country’s Maritime Research Institute, told state television on Monday. It is said that the ship was sailing between
Machado also said that 26 people were still missing after the incident, with rescue operations continuing until Monday.
Machado said the vessel was an overloaded fishing boat and did not have permission to transport people, adding that initial reports indicated the boat had been hit by high waves.
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A makeshift ferry sank off Mozambique’s northern coast on Sunday, killing at least 94 people, including children, the country’s officials said. (Getty Images)
Some of the people on the boat were traveling to attend a trade fair, while others were trying to evacuate from Lunga to Mozambique to avoid contamination from cholera, which has affected the region in recent days. Local television station Diario Nampura reported that some people were also doing so.
Nampula Province Secretary of State Jaime Neto said misinformation about the suspected cholera outbreak had caused people to panic and board boats, according to the BBC.
“The boat ended up sinking because it was overcrowded and not suitable for carrying passengers,” he told the media, noting that many of those killed in the incident were children.
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The boat was carrying 130 people and was sailing between Lunga and Nampula province in northern Mozambique when it capsized. (Getty Images)
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Mozambique and its southern African neighbors Zimbabwe and Malawi have been affected by deadly cholera outbreaks in recent months that authorities are trying to contain.
Mozambique does not have a good road network, so many areas can only be accessed by boat. Some areas cannot be reached by land or air.
Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
