Boats capsize in Madagascar results in over 20 deaths
Over 20 people, according to the BBC, have died after two boats capsized off the cost of Madagascar, local authorities have reported. The people were mostly Somali nationals. A statement from the Somalian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that efforts were underway to “ensure the safe return of the survivors” of the two boats which carried a total of 70 passengers.
The boats were discovered adrift in the north coast of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean. The engines in the boats are believed to have failed. A senior government official from Somalia assured local media that survivors were rescued by fisherman.
The survivors say they were making their way to Mayotte, a French island that is a common route for Somali migrants seeking asylum. It is considered a dangerous journey.
The Horn of Africa has been hit by unemployment and poverty as many young people look to make a dangerous journey to Europe seeking a better life.
Authorities in Madagascar warned against it due to the “severe risk associated with illegal migration,” and suggested that the victims of the tragedy were likely to be migrants.
The port authority reported local fisherman discovered the first boat drifting near Nosy Iranja. 25 people were rescued, including 10 men and 15 women, but seven occupants died. A second boat with 38 on board arrived at the Port du Cratère in Madagascar. The authority did not reveal a death toll but confirmed that 23 people were rescued.
Somali Information Minister Aweis, quoting data from their counterparts in Madagascar, confirmed the death toll at 22.
Somali Information Minister Aweis, citing information from his counterparts in Madagascar, confirmed the total death toll at 22.
“They were about 70 Somalis, 22 of them died. One boat was carrying 38 people and the other boat was carrying 32 people,” Aweis said on state-owned television late on Sunday.
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