“The boat sank because it was overloaded and unsuitable for carrying passengers,” said Jaime Neto, secretary of state for the northern province of Nampula (Mozambique).
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A tragedy off the coast of Mozambique. More than 90 people died in the sinking of a fishing boat converted into a ferry, with 130 people on board, local authorities announced on Sunday April 7. “The boat sank because it was overloaded and unsuitable for carrying passengers. Ninety-one people lost their lives”, said Jaime Neto, secretary of state of the northern province of Nampula. According to this same source, several children are among the victims.
Rescuers found five survivors and continued their search, but the sea state made operations difficult. An investigation was opened to determine the causes of the sinking, said the Secretary of State, adding that two of the five survivors had been hospitalized. The boat was heading towards the Island of Mozambique, the former capital of Portuguese colonization in East Africa, listed as a UNESCO world heritage site.
According to Jaime Neto, most of the passengers were trying to flee the mainland due to false information about the ongoing cholera epidemic, which caused panic. Mozambique, one of the poorest countries in the world, has recorded nearly 15,000 cases of this disease transmitted by dirty water. Thirty-two people have died since October, according to government statistics. Nampula province is the most affected region, concentrating a third of cases.
