The ferry was on its way to the Island of Mozambique, pictured (Picture: Getty)
Close to a hundred people, many of them children, have died after an overcrowded ferry sank off Mozambique’s northern coast.
The makeshift boat was carrying 130 people, according to TV Diario Nampula, a local online news outlet.
Those on board had been trying to get to the Island of Mozambique, the historic capital of Portuguese East Africa, some fearing they would contract cholera on the mainland.
Rescue efforts were continuing today, as 26 people were still reportedly missing as well as the 94 who died.
Mozambique and neighbouring southern African countries Zimbabwe and Malawi have in recent months been affected by a deadly cholera outbreak that authorities are battling to contain.
Another news report quoted Jaime Neto, the secretary of state in Nampula province, as saying that misinformation about an alleged cholera outbreak caused people to panic and board the boat, which ordinarily serves as a fishing vessel, in an attempt to flee.
Many areas of Mozambique are only accessible by boat, which are often overcrowded.
The country has a poor road network and some areas are unreachable by land or air.
This is a developing news story, more to follow soon… Check back shortly for further updates.
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