Mozambique: Police seize tanker truck with 89 illegal immigrants inside

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Mozambique: Police seize tanker truck with 89 illegal immigrants inside

4:02 CAT | 24 Oct 2022

Screen grab: TVM

The Mozambican Police (PRM) on Saturday (22) seized a tanker truck in the central province of Manica carrying 89 migrants, of different nationalities, who entered the country illegally.

The truck was heading to the port of Beira, in the central province of Sofala. Nine are women of the total number of immigrants, most of whom are Malawian nationals.

The migrants are suspected of entering into the country through the neighbouring province of Tete. They were arrested on National Road Number Seven (EN7), at the checkpoint in Bunga area, Guro district, in Manica.

AIM found out that the truck was intercepted after crossing the Luenha River, which is the natural border between Tete and Manica provinces.

At the checkpoint the police carried out the usual checks. While the inspection was in progress one of the immigrants inside the tanker peeked out to try to figure out what was going on when he was spotted by the population.

The truck was already on its way when the population informed the police, who immediately chased the truck. When the driver realised he was being chased by the police he grabbed his documents and run away on foot.

The police and the immigration authorities have launched an operation to arrest the truck driver, to be held accountable for his crimes.

JUST IN: Police in Mozambique have intercepted a tanker truck loaded with 87 illegal Malawian foreigners making their way to South Africa. pic.twitter.com/AWndbMKqc9

— PSAFLIVE (@PSAFLIVE) October 23, 2022

The EN7 is one of the most preferred routes for immigrants entering Mozambique illegally through the borders of Tete province, many of them bound for South Africa.

This year alone, over a thousand illegal immigrants have been arrested by the migration authorities in Manica province.

The authorities promised to release further details about the Bunga operation on Monday.

What happened on Saturday is a recipe for disaster, to transport human beings inside a tanker truck. Still fresh in the memory of many Mozambicans, the death of 64 Ethiopian nationals, occurred two years ago, who suffocated inside a container truck that was carrying them illegally across the border between Malawi and Tete.

Source: AIM