More on the Mapapaia tragedy: At least one death as boats collide in Maputo Bay

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More on the Mapapaia tragedy: At least one death as boats collide in Maputo Bay

9:22 CAT | 10 Jun 2016

CM Jornal

At least one person died, and three others were seriously injured, in a collision on Friday morning between two boats in the Bay of Maputo.

The vessels involved were the ferry boat “Pfhumo”, belonging to the company Transmaritima, which makes the scheduled crossings between central Maputo and the district of Katembe on the other side of the bay, and the small boat “Mapapaia II”, belonging to a private operator.

“When the small boat hit the ferry, it overturned”, said an eyewitness, who did not want to give his name. He told AIM that he thought “the pilots were negligent”.

The spokesperson for Maputo Central Hospital, Raul Cossa, said that eight injured people had been admitted to the hospital, one of whom is in critical condition, and is receiving intensive care.

In the afternoon, the National Marine Institute (INAMAR), a body subordinate to the Transport Ministry, issued a statement that there was one confirmed death, although one of the private television stations, Miramar, said at least two people had died.

INAMAR said 31 people had been rescued from the water. Three were in a serious condition, one of whom, as mentioned by Cossa, was in intensive care.

The small boat was overloaded, the INAMAR release added. Its maximum capacity was 25 passengers and three crew members.

A commission of inquiry will look into the causes of the collision, but INAMAR says “preliminary surveys at the site point towards human error” at the moment when the paths of the two boats crossed.

After the passengers and crew were rescued, the “Mapapaia II” was removed from the Bay, “with signs of severe damage”.

The ferry crossings between Maputo and Katembe have returned to normal, and INAMAR urged all operators and users of boats “to show the greatest observance of the established safety measures”.

Source: AIM