Madagascar boat accident: 17 dead and 68 missing

A cargo ship illegally carrying 130 passengers sank off country's north-eastern coast

A 2015 picture showing the Dutch cargo vessel 'Flinterstar' sinking. A cargo ship carrying 130 passengers has gone down off the coast of Madagascar, killing at least 17 people. Photo: AFP

A cargo ship illegally carrying 130 passengers sank off Madagascar's north-eastern coast, killing at least 17 people and leaving 68 missing, officials said on Monday.

At least 45 people have been rescued from the waters of the Indian Ocean, according to a report from the Maritime and River Port Agency.

The ship, Francia, had left the city of Antanambe, in the eastern Mananara North district in the early hours of Monday. It was sailing south towards the port of Soanierana Ivongo.

It was registered as a cargo ship so was not authorised to carry passengers and Antanambe is not an official port, said Jean Edmond Randrianantenaina, director general of the Maritime and River Port Agency.

A hole in the ship's hull is believed to have caused it to sink, he said.

“According to the information we were able to gather, water entered the engine room. The water started to rise and it swallowed up all the engines,” he said.

“Then the ship began to sink. We don’t know exactly what time the water started to rise, but our interventions began around 9am,” he said.

Three boats from the navy and the maritime agency are continuing the search for those still missing.