Antananarivo, March 15, (dpa/GNA) – Two days after a boat with migrants sank off the coast of the African island state of Madagascar, the number of victims has risen to 34, according to authorities.
Among the dead were three children, Madagascar’s maritime authority said on Tuesday.
On Sunday, it was initially said that 22 migrants had died; 23 people were rescued.
According to the authorities, the boat was on its way to the French overseas island of Mayotte, which lies off Africa’s south-eastern coast between Madagascar and the mainland.
Boats with people from Madagascar often set off from the north-west coast of the island. In February, the coast guard stopped a boat with 33 people on board off Mayotte.
GNA