Officials in Madagascar have recovered 34 bodies from the Indian Ocean after the sinking of an ‘unregistered’ boat that was carrying migrants hoping to get to Mayotte.
The boat carrying 58 passengers sailed clandestinely without going through official immigration or customs controls and sank late Saturday night off the northwest coast of Madagascar, according to Malagasy maritime authorities.
“A total of 11 lifeless bodies were recovered during Tuesday’s (search) operation, bringing the number of boat passengers to 58 with 24 alive and 34 dead,” Mamy Thierry Randrianarivony, director of sea operations of the Port, Maritime and River Agency (APMF), in a video posted on social networks.
The cause of the incident is still unknown and it is said that authorities are still investigating.
The APMF has decided to roll out measures to avoid such accidents, including strengthening monitoring of standards required for the construction and maintenance of marine craft, as well as the professionalization of marine mechanics, Randrianarivoni said.
(With inputs from agencies)
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