At least 94 dead in Mozambique after ferry boat capsizes

At least 94 people, including children, have died and 26 others are missing after a ferry boat capsized off the northern coast of Mozambique, say officials.

The vessel was an overloaded fishing boat and was not licenced to transport people, Lourenco Machado, an administrator of the country’s Maritime Transport Institute (INTRASMAR) said 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 ferrying people from Lunga in Nampula province to the Island of Mozambique, he said, adding that initial reports indicated that it was hit by a tidal wave.

Most of those on board were trying to escape the mainland because of a panic caused by disinformation about cholera, according to Nampula’s Secretary of State Jaime Neto.

The passengers were fleeing a cholera outbreak, said state broadcaster TVM, quoting another local maritime administrator.

Neto also said the passengers were fleeing cholera, according to the BBC.

“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 posted on social media X showed many bodies lying on a beach and some people carrying the bodies of children. The Reuters news agency could not immediately verify these videos.

The Southern African country, one of the world’s poorest, has recorded almost 15,000 cases of waterborne disease and 32 deaths since October, according to government data.