94 DEAD AFTER BOAT CAPSIZES IN MOZAMBIQUE DUE TO PANIC CAUSED BY CHOLERA MISINFORMATION

A ferry boat overturned off the northern coast of Mozambique, leaving at least 94 people—including children—dead and 26 more missing, say officials.

According to Lourenco Machado, an administrator of the country’s Maritime Transport Institute (INTRASMAR), the boat was an overloaded fishing vessel and lacked a license to transport passengers, as stated on official television on Monday.

The boat was ferrying people from Lunga in Nampula province to the Island of Mozambique, he said, adding that initial reports indicated that it was hit by a tidal wave.

Most of those on board were trying to escape the mainland because of a panic caused by disinformation about cholera, according to Nampula’s Secretary of State Jaime Neto.

The passengers were fleeing a cholera outbreak, said state broadcaster TVM, quoting another local maritime administrator.

Neto also said the passengers were fleeing cholera, according to the BBC.

“Because the boat was overcrowded and unsuited to carry passengers, it ended up sinking,” he told the BBC, adding that many children were among the dead.

Videos posted on social media X showed many bodies lying on a beach and some people carrying the bodies of children. The Reuters news agency could not immediately verify these videos.