The Permanent Secretary of the government of Inhambane, Ricardo Nhacuongue, said that the causes of the tragedy are being investigated and a commission of inquiry has been established to probe the boat accident.
“The provincial government of Inhambane will set up a commission of inquiry to investigate the causes of the wreck that occurred on Sunday at the bridge of the city of Maxixe, killing nine people and injuring 18 others”, Nhacuonge told state Radio Mozambique on Monday.
It is believed the accident of the boat which was carrying 73 people and their goods was caused by passengers’ own disrespect for safety standards.
“As we heard from the passengers themselves, the boat had problems with its spark plugs and the passengers panicked and started jumping off and not knowing how to swim, some of them ended up losing their lives” he said.
At the time of the accident, the boat was crossing the bay between the city of Maxixe and Inhanmabene with 73 passengers on board with their goods.
Maritime staff and rescue have launched a search operation in Inhambane Bay for possible missing persons.
Boat accidents are relatively common in Mozambique, where safety standards are poor.
As many as 13 people died when an overloaded boat carrying passengers and goods capsized in rough water on a river in the country’s central Zambezi province in June last year.