Antananarivo | The sinking of a ship off northeastern Madagascar on Monday left at least 64 dead, we learned from the gendarmerie on Wednesday, an update after the discovery of 25 new bodies.
“Twenty-five bodies were recovered this morning on the outskirts of Île Sainte-Marie, probably because of sea currents. This brings the total number of dead to 64, ”Gendarmerie General Zafisambatra Ravoavy confirmed to AFP.
The ship had taken on some 130 passengers and 45 of them were rescued. There are about twenty missing and the search is continuing.
This wooden goods transport boat left Monday morning from the small town of Antseraka towards Soanierana-Ivongo, nearly a hundred km further south. It was not allowed to take on passengers, maritime authorities said.
According to the first elements of the investigation, “the engine would have had a technical problem”, explained Adrien Fabrice Ratsimbazafy, of the Maritime and River Port Agency (APMF). “The boat found itself at the mercy of the waves and ran aground on a reef,” he said.