Boat accident leaves 22 Somalis dead in Indian Ocean

MOGADISHU, Somalia - At least 22 Somali immigrants died after their boat capsized in the Indian Ocean, an official confirmed, adding that the tragedy took place off the coast of Madagascar, in what has been termed an 'awful accident'.

Abdullahi Warfa, Somalia’s ambassador to Ethiopia, said that the boat was carrying 70 passengers at the time of the accident — all being Somali nationals. The bodies were found on Saturday, he added.

According to the envoy, 48 passengers were rescued by fishermen and have since been admitted to various hospitals for advanced treatment. It is not clear when the incident took place according to reports.

“An investigation is underway and we have the names of the victims and we will share them through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” he said.

The government did not elaborate on the cause of the accident. There has been a proliferation of migrant deaths within the Indian Ocean in recent months with most incidents associated with an overload of passengers.

At least 24 people died after a boat sank off the coast of the Comoros Islands, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said earlier this month.

Most of the victims are usually women, children, and infants. In September, 12 died on the coast of Anjouan in the Comoros island chain and never reached Mayotte, an island of the archipelago of Comoros. In August, 8 people died from a similar incident.

With harsh economic times in Somalia, most people migrate to other countries albeit illegally to look for greener pastures. Somalia is one of the poorest countries in the world and has often struggled to offset its debts owed to various global lenders.

GAROWE ONLINE