Chipaca boatwreck: Four survivors rescued, at least 15 still missing

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Chipaca boatwreck: Four survivors rescued, at least 15 still missing

2:31 CAT | 14 Feb 2017

Folha de Maputo

Four people were rescued alive after a boat accident that killed four others in the centre of the country, a Zambezia province police spokesman told Lusa on Monday.

“These people washed up on the banks of the river, far from the accident site,” said Miguel Cândido, adding that Mozambican authorities think that more than 15 people are still missing.

The boat, which was crossing the Chipaca River on Saturday with an indeterminate number of passengers, struck part of the structure of a bridge destroyed a few years ago.

According to Cândido, the four people rescued join five other survivors of the accident, caused, authorities say, by the boat’s overcrowding and risky maneuver.

“Our teams have been on the ground since Saturday,” Cândido said.

Eye witnesses quoted in the press yesterday indicate that the home-made boat was carrying more than 30 people.

Source: Lusa