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2021 Madagascar shipwreck

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2021 Madagascar shipwreck
Date20 December 2021
LocationMadagascar, Indian Ocean
Deaths84
Missing5

On 20 December 2021, a cargo ship illegally carrying 130 passengers sank off the northeast coast of Madagascar. It is thought that a hole in the hull caused the engine room to flood, leaving the vessel vulnerable to wave action. Of the 138 on board, 83 are confirmed to have died, with 5 remaining missing.

Wreck

The Francia, a wooden vessel, was a cargo ship that had illegally taken on 130 passengers for a journey from Antanambe (which is not registered as an official port) to Soanierana Ivongo.[1][2] Including crew, 138 people were onboard. The vessel sank late on 20 December 2021 after its engine was flooded, leaving it exposed to the action of waves.[3] The flooding was caused by a hole in the ship's hull.[2]

Aftermath

Helicopter crash

Madagascan police minister Serge Gellé was flown to the site of the shipwreck on 21 December.[4] His helicopter crashed and he was one of two surviving passengers (the other was a Chief Warrant Officer Jimmy Laitsara).[5] The helicopter's mechanic also survived. 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.[4][6] The body of one of the occupants, a police colonel, was recovered by 23 December, the pilot remains missing.[7]

A separate helicopter carried the prime minister, Christian Ntsay, and minister of national defence, General Léon Richard Rakotonirina, to the site of the shipwreck.[8]

Responses

A force of Madagascan gendarmes was sent to the site and an investigation into the sinking started by the Madagascan government.[9] Three vessels from the Madagascan navy and maritime agency assisted in the search for survivors.[2] By 22 December, 64 bodies had been recovered, with around 24 people missing and around 50 survivors rescued.[1][3] The following day the Madagascan Maritime and Port Agency announced that the confirmed death toll had increased to 83, with five persons missing.[7]

Madagascan president Andry Rajoelina paid tribute to those who died in the shipwreck and helicopter crash.[6]

References

  1. ^ a b "Madagascar shipwreck death toll rises to 64". EWN. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
  2. ^ a b c "Ship sinks off Madagascar coast; 17 dead and 68 missing". Arab News. 21 December 2021. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
  3. ^ a b "Scores killed in Madagascar boat accident, dozens still missing". France 24. 22 December 2021. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
  4. ^ a b "Madagascar minister 'swims 12 hours' to shore after helicopter crash". Deutsche Welle. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
  5. ^ Bezain, Laetitia (22 December 2021). "Madagascar's police chief swims 12 hours to shore after helicopter crash". CTVNews. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
  6. ^ a b "Madagascar: Minister 'swims for 12 hours' after helicopter crashes at sea". BBC News. 22 December 2021. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
  7. ^ a b Siad, Arnaud (23 December 2021). "Madagascar boat accident kills at least 83 people; police chief swims 12 hours to shore after helicopter crash at site". CNN. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
  8. ^ Keane, Daniel (22 December 2021). "Madagascar minister 'swims for 12 hours' after helicopter crash at sea". London Evening Standard. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
  9. ^ "17 die, 60 missing in Madagascar shipwreck". Dhaka Tribune. 20 December 2021. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
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