MCHINJI (Malawi): Nine bodies have been recovered from the boat capsize accident that occurred in Malawi’s western border district of Mchinji Wednesday, where 17 people were previously reported to have drowned.
Search and rescue operation by the Malawi Defence Force (MDF) Marine experts has since been suspended as new information has emerged regarding the number of survivors and those who drowned.
Earlier reports on the tragedy indicated that 22 people, including three children, were on board and that five people had been rescued while 17 people had drowned.
Police spokesperson for the district Limbani Mpinganjira told Xinhua on Saturday that thorough investigations into the tragedy established that the boat carried 15 people and that six people were rescued.
“With this information that has emerged, the 9 bodies that we have recovered plus the 6 people who were rescued account for the 15 people that we have established to have been on the boat,“ explained Mpinganjira.
The tragedy occurred when the people attempted to cross the Lusa River, one of the biggest and widest rivers in the district, to the other side to attend a funeral. - Bernama