On 20 December 2021, a cargo ship illegally carrying 130 passengers sank off the northeast coast of Madagascar. A hole in the hull caused the engine room to flood, leaving the vessel vulnerable to wave action. At least 85 people died during the accident.
 | |
| Date | 20 December 2021 |
|---|---|
| Location | Madagascar, Indian Ocean |
| Deaths | 85 |
| Missing | 3 |
Wreck
editThe Francia was a 12-metre-long (39 ft) wooden vessel that was not authorized to carry passengers.[1] The ship had illegally taken on 130 passengers for a journey from Antanambe (which is not registered as an official port) to Soanierana Ivongo, a journey of around 100 kilometres (54 nmi).[1][2][3] Including crew, 138 people were on board. The vessel sank late on 20 December 2021 after its engine room was flooded, leaving it exposed to the action of waves.[4] The flooding was caused by a hole in the ship's hull.[3]
Aftermath
editHelicopter crash
editMalagasy police minister Serge Gellé was flown to the site of the shipwreck on 21 December.[5] His helicopter crashed and he was one of two surviving passengers (the other was Chief Warrant Officer Jimmy Laitsara).[6] The survivors separately reached land at Mahambo. Gellé used a seat from the helicopter as a flotation device during his twelve-hour overnight swim to safety.[5][7] Gellé swam to within 500 metres (1,600 ft) of the shore, but the waves prevented him from reaching land. He was spotted by a fisherman, whose canoe was too small to accommodate them both. The fisherman returned two hours later with a larger canoe and brought Gellé to dry land.[1] The body of one of the helicopter's occupants, a police colonel, was later recovered; the pilot remains missing.[8]
A separate helicopter carried the prime minister, Christian Ntsay, and minister of national defence, General Léon Richard Rakotonirina, to the site of the shipwreck.[9]
Responses
editA force of Malagasy gendarmes was sent to the site and an investigation into the sinking was started by the Malagasy government.[10] Three vessels from the Madagascar Navy and maritime agency assisted in the search for survivors.[3] By 22 December, 64 bodies had been recovered, with around 24 people missing and around 50 survivors rescued.[2][4] The following day the Madagascan Maritime and Port Agency announced that the confirmed death toll had increased to 85, with three persons missing.[1][7][11]
President Andry Rajoelina paid tribute to those who died in the shipwreck and helicopter crash.[7] The graveyard of Soanierana-Ivongo was too small to accommodate all the bodies recovered, so some were sent to nearby villages for burial.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e "Madagascar shipwreck death toll rises to 85". www.aljazeera.com. Archived from the original on 23 December 2021. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
- ^ a b "Madagascar shipwreck death toll rises to 64". EWN. Archived from the original on 22 December 2021. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
- ^ a b c "Ship sinks off Madagascar coast; 17 dead and 68 missing". Arab News. 21 December 2021. Archived from the original on 22 December 2021. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
- ^ a b "Scores killed in Madagascar boat accident, dozens still missing". France 24. 22 December 2021. Archived from the original on 22 December 2021. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
- ^ a b "Madagascar minister 'swims 12 hours' to shore after helicopter crash". Deutsche Welle. Archived from the original on 22 December 2021. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
- ^ Bezain, Laetitia (22 December 2021). "Madagascar's police chief swims 12 hours to shore after helicopter crash". CTVNews. Archived from the original on 22 December 2021. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
- ^ a b c "Madagascar: Minister 'swims for 12 hours' after helicopter crashes at sea". BBC News. 22 December 2021. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
- ^ Siad, Arnaud (22 December 2021). "Madagascar boat accident kills at least 83 people; police chief swims 12 hours to shore after helicopter crash at site". CNN. Archived from the original on 22 December 2021. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
- ^ Keane, Daniel (22 December 2021). "Madagascar minister 'swims for 12 hours' after helicopter crash at sea". London Evening Standard. Archived from the original on 22 December 2021. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
- ^ "17 die, 60 missing in Madagascar shipwreck". Dhaka Tribune. 20 December 2021. Archived from the original on 22 December 2021. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
- ^ "Death toll from Madagascar shipwreck rises to 85". France 24. 23 December 2021. Archived from the original on 24 December 2021. Retrieved 25 December 2021.