Hommam Al Nassim 
At least 90 people, including children, died on Sunday after an overcrowded fishing vessel used as a ferry sank near Mozambique’s northern coast.
Local authorities said the ship, carrying about 130 passengers on a voyage to an island near Nampula province, had difficulties leading to its sinking.
For his part, the Minister of State for Nampula Region, Jaime Neto, indicated that the technical condition of the boat was very poor, and it is not suitable for transporting passengers.
Neto explained that the motive behind the passenger flight was to escape the risk of cholera, based on misinformation about the spread of the disease.
🚨Mais de 90 pessoas morreram, na tarde de domingo, num naufrágio de uma embarcação de pesca, que transportava passageiros na Ilha de #Moçambique. A maior parte dos corpos sem vida foram achados já na costa https://t.co/NjzqYUOKK4 via @Canal_Moz #Mozambique #Nampula #SOS pic.twitter.com/G868ZWNrem
— Alexandre Nhampossa (@AllexandreMZ) April 8, 2024
Rescue teams have recovered five survivors, while efforts to search for more have continued, despite challenging maritime conditions, and an investigation team is working to uncover the causes of the accident.
Mozambique has recorded about 15,000 cholera cases and 32 deaths since October, mostly in Nampula province, which has one of the highest poverty rates in the world.
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