Audio By Carbonatix
At least 24 people have died after two boats carrying mostly Somali nationals capsized off the coast of Madagascar, local authorities said.
A statement from Somalia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said efforts were underway to "ensure the safe return of the survivors". The two boats carried a total of 70 passengers.
The vessels were discovered adrift off Madagascar's north coast on Saturday in the Indian Ocean. It is believed their engines had failed.
A senior Somalian government official told local media that survivors were rescued by fishermen.
Survivors say they were trying to reach the French island of Mayotte, a common but dangerous route for Somali migrants seeking asylum.
Unemployment and poverty in the Horn of Africa forces many young people to undertake the perilous route to reach Europe in the hopes of a better life.
Madagascan authorities warned against “the severe risks associated with illegal migration” suggesting the victims of the tragedy were migrants.
Latest Stories
-
Port crises loom as 11,000 drivers threaten four-day strike
1 hour -
A source of excellence across generations – Vice President Opoku-Agyemang lauds Mfantsipim
2 hours -
(Photos) Mfantsipim School launches historic 150th anniversary
2 hours -
Knights and Ladies of Marshall group backs Catholic Bishops’ stance on anti-LGBTQ+
3 hours -
Bright Simons writes: All the Filla in the Ibrahim Mahama/E&P – Gold Fields Saga
4 hours -
Monetise Idiocy In Ghana
4 hours -
ECG kicks off Phase Two of transformer upgrades at Lashibi; brief outages expected
5 hours -
The Ghanaian prophet and the mysterious death of his scottish wife Charmain Speirs
5 hours -
Nearly 400 sentenced in Nigeria for links to militant Islamists
5 hours -
Ghana’s recovery supported by gold strength despite global oil price pressures – Standard Bank Research
5 hours -
Methodist Church hails Mfantsipim@150; calls for “fresh consecration” to excellence
5 hours -
‘Excellence is our inheritance’ – Nana Sam Brew-Butler hails Mfantsipim’s 150-year reign in leadership
6 hours -
Kwaku Azar writes: A-G vs OSP
6 hours -
Mfantsipim–Adisadel rivalry built excellence, not division – Sam Jonah
6 hours -
Vice President launches Mfantsipim’s 150 years of shaping Ghana’s greatest mind
6 hours