A makeshift ferry capsized and sank off the northern coast of Sunday, killing more than 90 on board, according to several media reports.
There were varying reports on the exact death toll, but Lourenco Machado, an administrator of the country’s Maritime Transport Institute, said on state television that at least 94 had died, with 26 missing.
Nearly 130 people were on board a vessel used for fishing. Some were traveling to attend a fair while others were trying to escape a cholera outbreak. Many of those on board were children, reported TV Diário Nampula, a local news outlet.
The boat was traveling from Lunga and the Island of Mozambique in Nampula province.
Rescue efforts underway
“It was a small vessel that was transporting 130 passengers. The boat didn’t have the capacity to transport these people and it sank,” Jaime Neto, secretary of state for the province of Nampula, said.
“We’ve confirmed the death of 91 people who have been identified,” Neto said, adding that five people had been rescued.
Neto told media outlets that misinformation about the cholera outbreak caused people to panic and flee.
Several bodies were seen lying on a beach, and some people were carrying the bodies of children, according to videos circulated on social media.
The southern African nation and its neighbors Zimbabwe, Malawi and . Authorities are working to contain the disease.
According to government figures, there have been 14,877 reported cases of cholera in Mozambique since October, and 32 related deaths. The UN children’s agency UNICEF has called it the worst cholera outbreak in the last two decades.
Mozambique lies along the eastern coast of Africa, and has a poor road network. Many regions are only accessible by boats, which tend to be overcrowded.
tg/ab (AFP, Reuters, EFE)
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