World - Africa
Updated: December 25, 2021

At Least 85 Dead In Madagascar Shipwreck

By Quadri Adejumo
December 25, 2021
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At least 85 workers were reported dead in a shipwreck off the northeast coast of Madagascar.

It was claimed that the victims travelled in a 12-metre long boat that was not authorised to transport passangers. A total of 138 people were aboard the ship that capsized on Friday.

Alban Menavolo, the mayor of Soanierana-Ivongo in the country said in a statement: "We received 39 bodies, with 30 of which were recovered by the families and we helped each other so that the families could obtain the remains of their loved ones.

"But there are still nine bodies that have not been recovered and the recovered bodies have been buried in the cemetery."

Findings suggest that the ship engine had a technical problem which resulted in the boat hitting a reef and capsizing.

At the moment of the accident, the workers were returning to their families for Christmas.