The owner of the ship that sank on Sunday, killing at least 98 people, in Nampula province in northern Mozambique is in custody, a local police spokeswoman told Lusa on Tuesday.
Rosa Chauk said the person responsible for the boat, a small fishing vessel operating in the region, was also detained.
The two elements “have already received medical attention and are currently in police custody,” the spokeswoman said.
As a result of the sinking, 98 people died, including 55 children, 34 women and nine men, 16 people survived, including two elements.
According to Mozambican maritime authorities, the fishing vessel did not have a permit to carry passengers and was not capable of doing so, and the people it was carrying were fleeing a cholera outbreak on the mainland and heading to the island of Mozambique, where the sinking occurred. about 100 meters from the shore.
The Mozambican government said it would meet on Tuesday to discuss the measures.
“The President of the Republic, Filipe Jacinto Nyusi, received with deep sadness the news of the sinking of a ship leaving the administrative post of Lungo in the district of Mossuril and heading to Nacala,” the presidential office said in a statement on Monday. Republic.
The head of state sent a government delegation led by Transport and Communications Minister Matheus Magala to provide “assistance and guidance to the survivors, as well as to conduct an investigation to assess the causes that led to this tragedy,” he added.
“It is important to note that soon after the head of state became aware of this tragedy, he instructed provincial institutions at various levels to mobilize rescue teams and situation analysis teams. In light of this tragedy, the Mozambican government will meet tomorrow [terça-feira] assess the situation and take the necessary measures to minimize the consequences of this incident,” the statement said.
Mozambique’s Minister of Transport and Communications announced on Monday at a cross-sectoral review meeting in Nampula that authorities were “reflecting” on the sinking to ensure “it never happens again.”
“Thinking about what happened, what shouldn’t happen and how we’re going to position ourselves from now on so that what happened doesn’t happen again. We are all here to reflect,” Magala said.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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