Africa-Press – Mozambique. Constantino Henriques
At least two fishermen lost their lives in Ilha Moçambique district, Nampula province, last week, when their boat sank in bad weather.
The casualties were out fishing at dawn on Tuesday, August 24, when they were surprised by deteriorating conditions.
According to Zacarias Nacute, spokesman for the Provincial Command of the Republic of Mozambique (PRM), in Nampula, the body of only one fisherman has so far been retrieved.
“We had a case of a boat wreck that occurred in Ilha de Moçambique, resulting from bad weather, with one individual reported missing. Steps are being taken by the Lake and River police to recover the body for delivery to family members to proceed with funeral ceremonies,” Nacute told the press at the weekly PRM briefing.
Nacute noted that warnings about bad weather were issued to residents of the area, particularly fishermen, but were ignored, and not only by those who lost their lives in the incident.
“When this time of year comes, the Lake and River Police remind people in this line of activity about these seasonal storms. The fact is that some of the individuals who make a living from fishing ignore these recommendations and go fishing nonetheless, because they depend on it.”
Nacute also reported the discovery, last week, of two people found dead in strange circumstances, one in the Napipine neighbourhood, in Nampula, and the other in the administrative post of Netia, Monapo district.
270 detained in one week
Police during the past week detained 270 individuals in police sub-units in Nampula for their alleged involvement in the commission of various crimes, including illegal possession of a firearm and the theft of goods on a public road.
Despite this number of arrests, Zacarias Nacute says that the past week has seen a 75% reduction in the crime rate compared to the same period of last year, attributing this favourable outcome to the corporation’s performance and tip-offs from the general public.
