MAPUTO, April 8 (Reuters) – At least 94 people are dead, including children, and 26 are missing after a fishing boat used as a ferry capsized off Mozambique’s northern coast, a government official said. the country’s Maritime Transport Institute (INTRASMAR).
The vessel was an overloaded fishing boat and was not authorized to carry passengers, Lourenco Machado, an INSTRASMAR administrator, told public television on Monday.
“This Sunday, we recorded a maritime incident in which at least 94 people died when a barge carrying 130 people capsized. We recovered 94 bodies and 26 people are missing,” he said.
The boat was carrying passengers from Lunga, in Nampula province, to the island of Mozambique, he said, adding that initial reports indicated the boat had been overturned by a tidal wave.
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Rumors of a cholera epidemic are causing a wave of panic, public channel TVM reported, citing another local maritime administrator.
Jaime Neto, secretary of state for Nampula province, also said the passengers were fleeing cholera, according to the British Broadcasting Corp (BBC).
“As the boat was overloaded and unsuitable for carrying passengers, it eventually sank,” he told the BBC, adding that many children were among the victims. (Reporting by Manuel Mucari, with contributions from Shivani Tanna in Bangalore, writing by Nellie Peyton; French version Alban Kacher, editing by Kate Entringer)
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