Unlicensed Mozambique Ferry Capsizes Killing at Least 94

A tragic incident off the northern coast of Mozambique resulted in at least 94 fatalities, including children, with 26 individuals still missing, as reported by an official from the Maritime Transport Institute of Mozambique (INTRASMAR).

Lourenco Machado, an INTRASMAR administrator, disclosed on state television that the disaster involved an overloaded fishing boat that lacked authorization for passenger transport.

Machado stated, "On Sunday we registered a maritime incident where at least 94 people died when a barge carrying 130 people capsized. We have recovered 94 bodies and 26 are missing."

He explained that the vessel was transporting individuals from Lunga in Nampula province to Mozambique Island and was apparently overwhelmed by a tidal wave, according to initial assessments.

The state broadcaster TVM reported, referencing a local maritime administrator, that the victims were attempting to escape a cholera outbreak.

This point was echoed by Jaime Neto, the secretary of state for Nampula province, in comments to the British Broadcasting Corp (BBC), attributing the passengers' flight to a cholera epidemic.

Neto remarked to the BBC, "Because the boat was overcrowded and unsuited to carry passengers, it ended up sinking," noting the distressing fact that many of the deceased were children.

Social media site X was awash with videos showing numerous bodies on a beach, including the carrying of children's bodies, although Reuters has yet to verify these clips.

This catastrophe comes as Mozambique and other Southern African nations have been grappling with cholera outbreaks since the previous year.