Another Boat Mishap: 30 Dies

 
At least 30 people died when their boat capsized off the Gabonese capital, Libreville, journalists and rescue workers said yesterday on the latest boat disaster off the west African coast.

Police said the boat, which was carrying 65 people thought to be illegal immigrants, capsized in stormy weather overnight as it was traveling from Nigeria to Libreville.

Journalists counted 30 bodies lying along the shore, with the boat still visible in the waters of CapeEsterias, which lies about 40 kilometres  north of Libreville.

A gendarme who requested anonymity said there were at least eight survivors among the passengers thought to be illegal immigrants from Togo, Benin and Burkina Faso.

Last week, an overloaded boat carrying an estimated 128 people sank off Nigeria’s southern coast. An emergency official said yesterday that 29 people have so far been rescued, but that the search for survivors is still ongoing.

Gabon, a small oil-rich nation with a population of 1.5 million, is an attractive destination for illegal immigrants who go there in search of work.

They often reach Gabon by road through Cameroon or by sea from Nigeria or Benin.

The boats they travel in are often overloaded, however, making them an extreme hazard to travel in.
There is no official report from the goverment yet