An overcrowded boat sank off the north coast of Mozambique which led to the death of over 90 people, including children. The converted fishing boat, carrying around 130 passengers, ran into trouble as it was trying to reach an island off Nampula province, according to the news agency, AFP. The Numpula secretary of state, Jamie Neto told the media that the boat was unsuited to carry passengers.
“Because the boat was overcrowded and unsuited to carry passengers, it ended up sinking,” Nampula’s secretary of state, Jaime Neto told AFP. He further added that 91 people lost their lives and many were children.
The boat was headed to the Island of Mozambique, a small coral islet that used to be the capital of Portuguese East Africa and gave its name to the country.
The rescue workers were looking for survivors, they found five. However, the sea conditions made it difficult for them to continue the operations. Neto said an investigative team was working to find out the causes of the boat disaster.
Cholera Outbreak
He told the news agency that most passengers were trying to escape the mainland because of the disinformation about cholera. Citing government data, AFP reported that Mozambique is one of the poorest countries in the world and has recorded almost 15,000 cases of the waterborne disease. Since October 2023, it has reported 32 deaths. Nampula is the worst-affected region, accounting for a third of all cases and it has spread across several countries in southern Africa since January last year, as per BBC.
Mozambique, known for its extensive Indian Ocean coastline and its borders with South Africa, Eswatini, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, and Tanzania, was under Portuguese colonial rule until gaining independence in 1975.
In recent months, the province has experienced a significant influx of people fleeing a surge of jihadist attacks in its northern neighbour, Cabo Delgado.