Tanzania officials on Tuesday said seven Ethiopian migrants drowned after a boat carrying 13 people capsized off the coast of Tanzania.
The migrants were traveling to South Africa. The boat capsized on Monday, police officials said.
Police say the disaster happened off East Africa’s Indian Ocean near Tanzania’s maritime border with Kenya.
A senior Police Commander Edward Bukombe told Reuters that “Of the people onboard, 12 were Ethiopians and another person, who was the boat captain, (his) nationality has not been identified because he is still missing. Seven people died in the accident and five have been rescued.”
Officials are still searching for those gone missing. Tanzanian officials have reportedly contacted the Ethiopian Embassy to arrange burial for the dead.
Bukombe was also quoted as saying that “After questioning the survivors” they “told us that they were going to South Africa”.
Officials are yet to identify those responsible for the trip since the captain of the boat has gone missing.
Young Africans continue to leave their countries seeking greener pastures abroad. They are willing to subject themselves to horrific conditions to realize that dream.
Mostly these young people travel through routes identified in North Africa to reach Europe. Many continue to die during such trips.
Source: Africafeeds.com
