(Maputo) More than 90 people died off the coast of Mozambique in the sinking of a fishing boat converted into a ferry and which was overloaded with 130 passengers on board, local authorities announced on Sunday.
“The boat sank because it was overloaded and unsuitable for carrying passengers. 91 people lost their lives,” said Jaime Neto, state secretary of the northern province of Nampula.
Several children are among the victims, according to him.
Rescuers found five survivors and continued their search, but the sea state made operations difficult.
Most of the passengers were trying to flee the mainland due to false information about the ongoing cholera epidemic, which caused panic, according to Neto.
Mozambique, one of the poorest countries in the world, has recorded nearly 15,000 cases of the disease transmitted by dirty water, and 32 people have died since October, according to government statistics.
Nampula province is the most affected region, concentrating a third of cases.
An investigation has been opened to determine the causes of the sinking, said the Secretary of State.