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Boat off the coast in Mozambique (symbolic image)
Photo: Themba Hadebe/AP
More than 90 people died when an overcrowded ship sank in Mozambique. The passengers are said to have tried to flee a cholera outbreak. According to official information, five people were rescued, the BBC reported.
The ship is said to be a fishing boat that has been converted into a ferry, reports the AFP news agency. Around 130 people were on board. "The boat sank because it was overloaded and unsuitable for carrying passengers," said Jaime Neto, the secretary of state for the northern province of Nampula.
The AIM news agency reported, citing an authority official, that the ship was probably wrecked when it was hit by high waves. It was traveling from the Lunga region to an island in Nampula province in northern Mozambique.
Mozambique, which is one of the poorest countries in the world, is suffering from the largest cholera outbreak in 25 years, according to information from Unicef, among others. Between September 2022 and January 2023 alone, more than 43,000 cases of cholera were reported
Cholera is transmitted, among other things, through contaminated drinking water and can quickly lead to death if left untreated. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the disease has been on the rise again since 2021.
bbr/dpa/AFP