On 20 December 2021, a cargo ship illegally carrying 130 passengers sank off the northeast coast of

Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...

. A hole in the hull caused the engine room to flood, leaving the vessel vulnerable to

wave action In fluid dynamics, a wind wave, water wave, or wind-generated water wave, is a surface wave that occurs on the free surface of bodies of water as a result from the wind blowing over the water surface. The contact distance in the direction of t ...

. At least 85 people died during the accident.

Wreck

The ''Francia'' was a wooden vessel that was not authorized to carry passengers. The ship had illegally taken on 130 passengers for a journey from

Antanambe Antanambe is a town and commune ( mg, kaominina) in Madagascar. It belongs to the district of Mananara Nord, which is a part of Analanjirofo Region. The population of the commune was estimated to be approximately 18,000 in 2001 commune census. P ...

(which is not registered as an official port) to Soanierana Ivongo, a journey of around . Including crew, 138 people were on board. The vessel sank late on 20 December 2021 after its engine room was flooded, leaving it exposed to the action of waves. The flooding was caused by a hole in the ship's hull.

Aftermath

Helicopter crash

Malagasy police minister Serge Gellé was flown to the site of the shipwreck on 21 December. His helicopter crashed and he was one of two surviving passengers (the other was Chief Warrant Officer Jimmy Laitsara). The survivors separately reached land at

Mahambo Mahambo is a town and commune ( mg, kaominina) in Madagascar. It belongs to the Districts of Madagascar, district of Fenerive Est District, Fenerive Est, which is a part of Analanjirofo Region. The population of the commune was estimated to be app ...

. Gellé used a seat from the helicopter as a flotation device during his twelve-hour overnight swim to safety. Gellé swam to within of the shore, but the waves prevented him from reaching land. He was spotted by a fisherman, whose canoe was too small to accommodate them both. The fisherman returned two hours later with a larger canoe and brought Gellé to dry land. The body of one of the helicopter's occupants, a police colonel, was later recovered; the pilot remains missing. A separate helicopter carried the

prime minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

Christian Ntsay Christian Louis Ntsay (born 27 March 1961 in Antsiranana, Madagascar) is a Malagasy politician who is serving as the prime minister of Madagascar since 2018. He was appointed by President Hery Rajaonarimampianina following Olivier Mahafaly Solo ...

, and minister of national defence, General Léon Richard Rakotonirina, to the site of the shipwreck.

Responses

A force of Malagasy gendarmes was sent to the site and an investigation into the sinking was started by the Malagasy government. Three vessels from the Madagascar Navy and maritime agency assisted in the search for survivors. By 22 December, 64 bodies had been recovered, with around 24 people missing and around 50 survivors rescued. The following day the Madagascan Maritime and Port Agency announced that the confirmed death toll had increased to 85, with three persons missing.

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

Andry Rajoelina Andry Nirina Rajoelina (Malagasy: ; born 30 May 1974) is a Malagasy politician and businessman who has been the president of Madagascar since 2019. He was previously president of a provisional government from 2009 to 2014 following a political ...

paid tribute to those who died in the shipwreck and helicopter crash. The graveyard of Soanierana-Ivongo was too small to accommodate all the bodies recovered, so some were sent to nearby villages for burial.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Madagascar shipwreck, 2021 2021 crimes in Madagascar 2021 disasters in Madagascar

Shipwreck A shipwreck is the wreckage of a ship that is located either beached on land or sunken to the bottom of a body of water. Shipwrecking may be intentional or unintentional. Angela Croome reported in January 1999 that there were approximately ...

December 2021 crimes in Africa Maritime incidents in 2021 Shipwrecks in the Indian Ocean 2021 shipwreck