BY MBONO MDLULI
MBABANE – Prime Minister Russell Mmiso Dlamini is saddened by the tragedy that befell Mozambique.
The accident, which is said to have happened yesterday (April 7, 2024) is said to have claimed more than 90 lives. A ferry, which was sailing off the coast of a Mozambican province known as Nampula developed problems while transporting people to Island of Mozambique.
As it sailed, the ferry sank, killing the more than 90 lives, forcing others to be hospitalised. According to Wikipedia, a ferry is a watercraft that carries passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A small passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water taxi or water bus. Speaking on his Facebook page, Dlamini said they were saddened by this development.
“This morning, we have learnt with a heavy heart that a boat travelling from Lunga to Mozambique Island, off the coast of Nampula province, sank, killing more than 90 people. We are saddened to learn that these travellers were fleeing Nampula province as it is one of the worst-affected by the cholera outbreak, which has spread over several countries in Southern Africa since January last year,” Dlamini said.
He said the thoughts and prayers of Emaswati were with the families and the people of Mozambique. “We send our deepest sympathies to President His Excellency Filipe Nyusi, the Government and people of Mozambique,” he said.
The Premier said at this time, they called upon the international community to come together and find solutions to the cholera pandemic that has affected the region. According to an article by the Associated Press (AP), which was updated around 11:48am, there were 94 people that had died because of the accident.
Island of Mozambique Administrator Silvério Nauaito was quoted by the AP as having told the state-run Radio Mozambique that the ferry sank on Sunday (yesterday) afternoon and that the initial death toll of 91 rose to 94, after they recovered three more bodies early Monday (today).
According to the AP, Nauaito further said there were 130 people on the ferry and “94 have lost their lives and about 11 people have been hospitalised.” “There are … around three other people rescued, but it is not easy to say with precision how many remain missing,” Nauaito told the radio station. He added that officials were heading Monday (today) to the accident site to get more precise information.
The AP further said the boat — operating between Lunga in Nampula Province and the Island of Mozambique — was overcrowded and many of those who drowned were children, according to TV Diário Nampula, a local online outlet. It capsized en route.
