At Least 85 Bodies Found After Shipwreck Near Madagascar
The death toll from the shipwreck northeast of Madagascar has risen to 85 after 21 more bodies were recovered. The gendarmerie and the maritime authorities report this on Thursday.
The number of passengers of the small boat of twelve meters has also been adjusted upwards. As a result, the maritime authorities clarified that there would have been 138 people on board, of whom only 50 people were rescued.
The wooden cargo boat left the town of Antseraka on Monday morning for Soanierana-Ivongo, nearly 100 kilometres to the south. However, the maritime authorities said the ship was not licensed to take passengers on board.
While visiting the accident site, the Malagasy Secretary of State helicopter for the Gendarmerie, General Serge Gellé, and three gendarmes plunged into the sea. The state secretary and one gendarme managed to reach the coast after twelve hours of swimming.
