A fishing boat with 130 people on board sank off the coast of Mozambique. They had fled a cholera epidemic. According to the maritime authority, the boat may have been hit by high waves – and was completely overloaded.
At least 90 people have died in a shipwreck off the coast of Mozambique. There are many children among them, according to the State Secretary for the northern province of Nampula, Jaime Neto. So far five people have been rescued. The search for survivors continues despite adverse conditions.
The fishing boat, which had been converted into a ferry, was overloaded with around 130 passengers on board, local authorities said. It could have accommodated a maximum of 100 people, said a representative of the island administration on the STV television station. “The boat sank because it was overloaded and unsuitable for carrying passengers,” Neto said.
The AIM news agency reported, citing a representative of the maritime authority, that the ship was probably wrecked when it was hit by high waves.
Escape because of Cholera epidemic
According to media reports in the country, the passengers are said to have fled a cholera epidemic on the ship. According to the government, almost 15,000 cases of cholera and 32 deaths have been recorded since October in the southern African state, which is one of the poorest countries in the world.
Nampula is the hardest-hit region, accounting for a third of all cases. Cholera is transmitted, among other things, through contaminated drinking water and can quickly lead to death if left untreated. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the disease has been on the rise again since 2021.