Emergencies
Almost 100 dead after ship accident in Mozambique
In Mozambique, people wanted to flee a cholera epidemic on a fishing boat. (archive image) photo
© Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi/AP/dpa
Cholera has broken out in Mozambique, Africa. Many people die while fleeing the bacterial disease, which is primarily transmitted through drinking water.
After an overcrowded fishing boat sinks in the north In Mozambique, the number of victims has continued to rise. As of Tuesday, 98 dead had been recovered, and another 17 people remained missing after the accident on Sunday, as the Minister of State for the northern province of Nampula, Jaime Neto, said during a visit to the coast near the site of the accident.
According to previous authorities, around 130 people wanted to flee by boat from Nampula to the island of Ilha de Mozambique on Sunday because of a cholera epidemic and terrorist attacks. The overloaded boat presumably capsized in high seas. A team of experts was supposed to determine the exact cause of the accident on Tuesday.
Islamist rebels have repeatedly carried out brutal attacks in northern Mozambique since 2017. According to the United Nations, more than 780,000 people were displaced and scores of others were killed. After a long period of calm, violent attacks have occurred again in the region in recent weeks. At the same time, Mozambique has been suffering for months from an outbreak of cholera, a bacterial disease that is primarily transmitted through drinking water. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 5,200 suspected cases have been reported so far and more than 30 people have died from cholera.