More than 90 dead in Mozambique ferry disaster , including many children, due to overcrowding. It was a makeshift ferry and it happened in the north coast of Mozambique, according to local authorities.
Officials said the converted fishing boat, carrying about 130 people, ran into trouble as it attempted to reach an island off Nampula province on Sunday.
Jaime Neto, Nampula’s secretary of state, stated, “Because the boat was overcrowded and unsuited to carry passengers, it ended up sinking. There are 91 people who lost their lives.” He added that many children were among the victims.
Rescuers managed to find five survivors and were continuing the search, although sea conditions were making the operation difficult.
Neto explained that most passengers were trying to escape the mainland due to a panic caused by disinformation about cholera.
The southern African country, one of the world’s poorest, has recorded almost 15,000 cases of the waterborne disease and 32 deaths since October, according to government data.
Nampula
Nampula is the worst-affected region, accounting for a third of all cases.
In recent months, the province has also experienced a large influx of people fleeing a wave of jihadist attacks in its northern neighbor, Cabo Delgado.
Neto mentioned that an investigative team was working to determine the causes of the boat disaster.
According to the official, two of the five survivors were receiving treatment in hospital.
The boat was heading to the Island of Mozambique, a small coral islet that used to serve as the capital of Portuguese East Africa and gave its name to the country.
The UN’s culture agency, Unesco, lists this island as a world heritage site, hosting a fortified city and linked to the mainland by a bridge built in the 1960s.
In March, at least one person died as an illegal fishing vessel wrecked near a southern beach.
With almost two-thirds of the population living in poverty, the country has set high hopes on vast natural gas deposits discovered in Cabo Delgado, in the north, in 2010.
However, an insurgency since 2017 waged by militants linked to the Islamic State group has stalled progress. Since the fighting began, the conflict has killed more than 5,000 people and forced almost a million to flee their homes.
