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60 migrants feared drowned in Guinea-Bissau capsize
BISSAU, Oct 3, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – A small boat carrying migrants has capsized
off Guinea-Bissau, a port official said, adding that the vessel may have had
more than 60 people on board when it set off.
Commander Siga Batista said the pirogue, a narrow wooden fishing vessel,
sank on Monday night off the impoverished West African country, which has 200
kilometres (120 miles) of coastline and no patrol ships to save lives on the
high seas.
“An overloaded pirogue, transporting illegal migrants, capsized in our
waters,” Batista told AFP by telephone, saying that the fisheries
surveillance department had alerted him to the disaster.
“We don’t know how many people were on board when the boat sank, nor their
identity or even their nationality. But according to information that has
reached me there were more than 60 people on board the pirogue,” Batista
added.
No survivors have been found but local radio stations have asked fishermen
to tell authorities if they spot any bodies or passengers still alive.
“Due to the financial situation, we have had difficulty organising a
rescue operation,” Batista said.
The coastal surveillance agency has two speedboats, but these are often
prevented from leaving the port due to lack of fuel, a navy officer told AFP
on condition of anonymity.
Guinea-Bissau, a former Portuguese colony, is one of the world’s poorest
countries.
The 44th anniversary of independence on September 24 passed without
festivities as all available financial resources were put towards organising
legislative elections scheduled for November 18.
The country has been in the grip of a power struggle since August 2015 and
many hope the polls will help to end the long-running political crisis.
BSS/AFP/MSY/1318 hrs