Quelimane municipality decrees three days of mourning, postpones Carnival to August after boat sinking

Login

Register

http://www.clubofmozambique.com/

Quelimane municipality decrees three days of mourning, postpones Carnival to August after boat sinking

1:49 CAT | 15 Feb 2017

Folha de Maputo (File photo)

The municipality of Quelimane in Zambezia has decreed three days of mourning for the victims of the sinking that killed five people on the Chipaca River on Saturday.

A statement from Manuel de Araújo, the mayor of Quelimane, quoted by Lusa, says the municipality wants to show solidarity with bereaved families and with citizens in general, helping to create the necessary conditions for those affected to recover.

The boat, reportedly carrying more than 30 passengers across the Chipaca River, sank after colliding with part of a derelict bridge which was destroyed a few years ago. According to the municipality, ten people survived and 15 are missing.

At the press conference on Monday afternoon, Mayor de Araújo decreed the period of mourning and postponed the renowned Quelimane Carnival to August, amalgamating it with the city’s 75th anniversary on August 21.

The reactions to this decision are already emerging, with social networks unhappy with the postponing of the carnival, which is traditionally celebrated from February to August. Some commentators are insisting that Araújo must explain what is really happening, since a three-day period of mourning will expire on Friday and the carnival could easily go ahead on Saturday, Diário da Zambézia reports.

Source: Folha de Maputo / Diário da Zambézia