At least 91 people died after an overloaded boat capsized near the Island of Mozambique in Mozambique’s northern province of Nampula on Sunday, the state-run Radio Mozambique (RM) reported.
The fatal victims include children, and another 34 people were missing, the report said, adding that five survivors were found.
The vessel was a makeshift ferry departing from the district of Mossuril and carried a total of 130 passengers, the secretary of state in Nampula province Jaime Neto, was quoted as saying.
Neto told RM that passengers left their areas of origin, following a panic caused by the misinformation about the cholera outbreak.
“It is a vessel not prepared to transport so many people. It is a fishing vessel, and people had misinformation about the cholera outbreak, and they rushed to the vessel,” Neto said.
A multisectoral team was organized by the authorities to continue to search for the missing and conduct investigation into the accident.
