Three people died after a Ro-Pax ferry suffered an onboard fire while transiting Lake Nyasa in Tanzania’s Southern Highlands in the early hours (local time) of Sunday, October 11.
The Mozambican-flagged Chambo was travelling from Tanzania to Mozambique when the blaze ignited. At the time, the vessel was just off Nyasa District in Ruvuma Region.
The Tanzania Times reported that the vessel exploded in flames and subsequently sank.
Nyasa District Commissioner Peresi Magiri said the vessel had 44 passengers consisting of 23 Mozambican, 15 Tanzanian, four Malawian, and two Basotho [people from Lesotho, –ed] nationals. All other passengers were rescued, with local residents and fishermen helping to pull survivors to shore.
"The accident happened in Tanzanian territory with 44 passengers aboard; three have died and the others have been rescued,” Magiri told local news outlet Mwananchi. “Work to extinguish the fire is continuing under the Fire and Rescue Force.”
The dead included a Tanzanian man, a Malawian woman, and a young Mozambican girl. The bodies are being held at Nangombo District Hospital in Nyasa.
Mozambique has dispatched a boat to collect the girl's body, while Malawi's Department of Disaster Management Affairs is supporting arrangements to repatriate the woman's body and her surviving daughter.
Several people meanwhile suffered injuries.
The vessel was also carrying more than 10 tonnes of cargo, all of which was lost.
Magiri said the cause of the fire was not yet known. However, Likoma District Commissioner Abubakar Nkhoma said in a Malawi News Agency report that, according to preliminary reports, the carriage of excessive goods aboard the vessel had led to an electrical short.
"The fire was intensified by strong easterly winds, which made it difficult for the crew to notice it until it had spread considerably," Nkhoma said.
The 2013-built Chambo returned to service in October 2024 after operations were halted during border closures imposed in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The vessel's service connects Nkhata Bay in Malawi with Likoma and Chizumulu islands and a port in Mozambique. It has been regarded as an important link for island residents travelling to mainland Malawi.
The vessel is reported to be able to accommodate 100 passengers, carry 10 tonnes of cargo, and transport up to two vehicles.
Baird Maritime tracks global passenger vessel accidents in its comprehensive database, which can be accessed here.