Nearly 100 dead after overcrowded boat sinks off Mozambique coast
- Makeshift ferry was carrying about 130 people to an island off Nampula province when it sank
- Passengers were trying to escape the mainland because of panic caused by a cholera outbreak
Nearly 100 people died when an overcrowded makeshift ferry sank off the north coast of Mozambique, local authorities said on Monday.
The converted fishing boat, carrying about 130 people, ran into trouble on Sunday as it tried to reach an island off Nampula province, officials said. The death toll rose to 96 on Monday with people reported missing.
“Because the boat was overcrowded and unsuited to carry passengers, it ended up sinking,” Nampula’s secretary of state Jaime Neto told the BBC, adding that many children were among the dead.
Rescuers had found five survivors and were searching for more, but sea conditions were making the operation difficult.
Most passengers were trying to escape the mainland because of a panic caused by disinformation about cholera, Neto said on Sunday.