Over 90 people have died after a ferry sank off the north coast of Mozambique, killing around 130 people who were fleeing a cholera outbreak. The boat was overcrowded and unsuited to carry passengers, leading to the sinking. The boat was travelling from Lunga to Mozambique Island off the coast of Nampula. Nampula province has been one of the worst-affected by the cholera outbreak, which has spread across southern Africa since January last year.
Unicef reports the current outbreak is the worst in 25 years, with 13,700 confirmed cases and 30 deaths since October 2023. An Islamist insurgency in neighboring Cabo Delgado province has claimed the lives of at least 4,000 people and displaced nearly one million others since its beginning over six years ago. Mozambique Island, a Unesco world heritage site, was the capital of Portuguese East Africa for nearly 400 years and is known for its colonial architecture and rich history as a trading post.
