Mozambican authorities were scrambling on Thursday (7 March) to find survivors of a shipwreck that killed at least one person and left eight others missing south of the capital, Maputo.
Mozambique’s National Maritime Institute (Inamar) said an illegal fishing vessel carrying 12 people ran into trouble as it was navigating the waters off the southern Matutuine region on Wednesday (6 March) morning.
The causes of the incident were not immediately clear, but officials said they believed the crew panicked after the vessel started taking on water, eventually causing it to capsize.
The ship’s wreckage had washed up on a beach in the area.
Odete Muianga of Inamar said rescuers found two survivors on Wednesday and pulled a third one from the waters the following day.
Eight more crew members were missing at sea but hopes of finding them alive were fading.
The boat was not licensed to navigate or fish, Muianga said.
While the official said the incident was unusual, illegal fishing, often by unseaworthy vessels, is common in the poor southern African country.
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