Nine killed in boat collision in Madagascar

Nine people were killed while several others have been reported as missing following a vessel collision incident in north-western Madagascar in the early evening (local time) of Sunday, September 11.

The incident occurred at around 17:00 on Sunday when a cargo vessel struck an eight-metre speedboat carrying 35 passengers on the Lazo River near the town of Antsohihy.

Eyewitnesses said the boat sank immediately afterwards and some of the people who were on board were able to swim to shore.

Nine bodies have so far been recovered from the surrounding waters while an unknown number of the boat’s occupants remain unaccounted for.

Authorities said the cargo vessel fled the area following the collision. The same vessel was apprehended later that evening and its crew were taken in for questioning by local police.

Jean-Edmond Randrianantenaina, director general of the country’s Maritime and Port Management Authority, told AFP that the incident might have been caused by the lack of lighting on the speedboat.

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