In a message he addressed on Monday to his Mozambican counterpart, Filipe Nyusi, the head of state presented on his behalf and the Government's "most heartfelt condolences" to the families of the victims, "for the tragic occurrence that killed a large number of citizens in province and Nampula, on the 7th of this month".
"Please accept, Your Excellency, our solidarity in this moment of profound sadness that affects your country", said João Lourenço, in his message.
Among the 98 fatalities already confirmed, a police source told Lusa this Tuesday that there are at least 55 children. The sinking of the fishing vessel, which had 130 people on board, occurred on Sunday in that northern province of Mozambique.
"We have 98 deaths so far and 16 survivors. The searches have resumed," Rosa Chauque, spokesperson for the Police of the Republic of Mozambique (PRM) in Nampula province, told Lusa this morning.
She added that among the 98 confirmed deaths, 32 were male and 66 were female. Among these, there are 55 children, according to PRM data.
The victims died following the sinking of a small, overcrowded vessel that left the administrative post of Lunga bound for the Island of Mozambique.
According to the Mozambican maritime authorities, the fishing vessel was not authorized to transport passengers nor was it capable of doing so and the people it was transporting were fleeing an outbreak of cholera on the mainland, bound for the Island of Mozambique, with the sinking occurring on about a hundred meters from this coast.
The Mozambican Government announced that it will meet this Tuesday to discuss measures to "minimize the impact" of this accident.
