Deaths in Madagascar shipwreck rise to 85

Updated 4 years ago · Published on 23 Dec 2021 5:50PM · 0 Comments

The wreck of the boat ‘Francia’ after it was towed ashore, near off Mahambo, north-eastern Madagascar, December 21. Maritime authorities say of the 138 people who were on the that sank on Monday, only 50 had been rescued so far, as the death toll rises to 85 today. – EPA pic, December 23, 2021.

A SHIPWRECK off the coast of Madagascar this week has claimed 85 lives, maritime officials said today, after retrieving 21 more bodies a day earlier.

Maritime authorities said 138 people were on the 12-foot-long boat carrying cargo which sank on Monday, adding that only 50 had been rescued.

The dead include five children.

The wooden vessel, a cargo boat not authorised to carry passengers, had set off from the village of Antseraka for Soanierana-Ivongo, about 100km to the south.

Initial investigations suggested the vessel’s engine had a “technical problem”, according to Adrien Fabrice Ratsimbazafy of the River and Maritime Port Agency (APMF). – AFP, December 23, 2021.

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