Maputo, 4 Jan (AIM) – Five people, including three children, died on Friday when a boat overturned on Uembje Lake, in Bilene district, in the southern Mozambican province of Gaza.
According to a statement from the Bilene Maritime Delegation, the accident occurred at about 16.40, and involved an unregistered fibre-glass boat, equipped with two outboard motors. The boat was carrying 17 people.
A 52 year old man named Ricardo Manuel was steering the boat. It is assumed that he had taken a group of friends out for a leisure trip as part of the New Year festivities
Search and rescue operations were immediately begun. Although some people were pulled out of the water still alive, they died of their injuries before they could be taken to the nearest health unit.
The Bilene district administrator, Araujo Momade, confirmed the disaster to Radio Mozambique. He believed that the likely causes of the sinking are overcrowding, and failure to observe basic maritime safety norms.
Not only was the boat unregistered, but the occupants were not wearing life-jackets.
Momade urged members of the public to observe strictly security measures whenever they put out to sea, particularly during seasons when a large number of tourist boats are on the water.
Ricardo Manuel has been detained at the Bilene Beach police station, while investigations continue.
(AIM)
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