MAPUTO—A ferry boat sank off the northern coast of Mozambique, killing at least 94 people, including children, and leaving 26 others missing, according to an official from the country's Maritime Transport Institute (INTRASMAR).
The vessel was an overcrowded fishing boat that was not permitted to transport people, according to INSTRASMAR administrator Lourenco Machado, who spoke on state television on Monday.
“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 said.
The boat was transporting passengers from Lunga in Nampula Province to Mozambique Island, he added, adding that preliminary indications suggested it was struck by a tidal surge.
The passengers were escaping a cholera outbreak, according to state station TVM, which cited another local marine official.
According to the BBC, Jaime Neto, secretary of state for Nampula Province, stated that the passengers were escaping disease.
“Because the boat was overcrowded and unsuited to carry passengers, it ended up sinking,” he told the BBC, adding that many children were among the dead.
Videos uploaded on social media X revealed several dead laying on a beach, as well as adults carrying children's bodies. Reuters was unable to quickly authenticate these footage.
Since last year, Mozambique and other Southern African nations have battled cholera epidemics.
