Shipwreck kills 5 in northern Mozambique

MAPUTO, May 6 (Xinhua) -- A boat with more than 50 passengers on board operating from the Quirimbas to the village of Quissanga in northern Cabo Delgado province sunk, five passengers were killed on Sunday, according to the announcement of provincial authorities.

Authorities say that preliminary information indicates that excessive goods and passengers beyond the boat's carrying capacity including bad weather are among the reasons behind the incident.

"Information that we were able to gather indicates that the boat has capacity to load 21 passengers but they had more than 50 people on board and it also had excessive goods added to the passengers," said Provincial Permanent Secretary, Antonio Mapure.

Local media quoted the authorities as saying that a committee has been set up by the provincial government to investigate the causes behind the shipwreck and also provide support to the victims of the incident.

Government authorities appealed boat operators to be cautious when transporting people and goods, observing the limits established by the legal framework for these operations.

"To every transporters, they must respect the rules when transporting people and goods, the people behind the operations must be approved to operate the boats and also observe the weather forecast, because it is important in this area of transport," added Mapure. Enditem