At least 94 dead in Mozambique : Tragically, 94 people, including children, have been killed in a maritime tragedy off :northern coast of Mozambique. Additionally, 26 individuals are still listed as missing. It all started when a ferry boat that wasn’t licensed to carry passengers sank due to being overloaded. The consequences were catastrophic. This information was divulged by Lourenco Machado, who is the administrator of INTRASMAR, Mozambique’s Maritime Transport Institute, during a Monday news broadcast.
Tragically, the ship was transporting 130 people from the Nampula province town of Lunga to the island of Mozambique. The catastrophic accident of the boat was reportedly caused by a tidal wave, according to Machado’s summary of the first investigations.
Tragically, the passengers on board were allegedly trying to escape a cholera epidemic, according to state network TVM, quoting another marine official in the area. The statement from Jaime Neto, the secretary of state for Nampula province, corroborated this, saying that the tragic incident occurred because the overcrowded and unprepared boat could not support the weight of its passengers. Many children were among the victims, making the loss more sad.
Tragic film supposedly showing the aftermath of the tragedy is going viral on social media, with people somberly holding the bodies of children and a beach littered with bodies. Nonetheless, Reuters is still waiting for confirmation that these videos are legitimate.
Mozambique and its southern African neighbors have been dealing with cholera epidemics since last year, and this tragedy highlights the difficulties they continue to face. Amidst the sadness and loss, the incident highlights the critical need for stricter regulations and improved safety procedures in the marine industry to avoid future catastrophes of this kind.
