Death Toll From Madagascar Boat Sinking Climbs To 83

The death toll from the sinking of a cargo ship off the coast of northeastern Madagascar has risen to 83 as bad weather ended the search for five missing passengers.

Maritime and River Port Agency (APMF), said the ship, which was not authorised to take passengers, was overloaded and water flooded the engine before it sank on Monday.

Mamy Randrianavony, director of operations at sea added that fifty survivors have been found, while the search for the five remaining missing passengers would resume on Thursday.

One of the search helicopters carrying General Serge Gellé, who heads the national Gendarmerie, crashed at sea late on Monday. Gellé was found alive on Tuesday morning after 13 hours, during which time he used the pilot’s seat as a float.

In a video posted by the Gendarmerie Gellé said, “Since I couldn’t fight the waves, I knew I wouldn’t make it to dry land. Yet I was very close. I arrived within 500 meters, but the waves sent me back because I was getting tired.”

He said, “I thank heaven that there was a fisherman. But the fisherman’s canoe was too small. So he had to come back for a bigger canoe. So I stayed two more hours in the sea.

Another passenger from the helicopter, a mechanic, was also found alive. Two other passengers are unaccounted for.