Six people have died and three are missing following two shipwrecks and drownings of an artisanal boat in Niassa province.

The authorities point to the use of unsuitable boats and maritime navigation with high flow levels as the cause of the incident.

Information provided by "O País" indicates that the deaths occurred in two shipwrecks and an equal number of drownings in the last week in the districts of Mandimba, Sanga, Marupa and Mavabe in Niassa province.

"We had two canoes sink in different districts. We've had one in Mandimba and another in Sanga and we've also had cases of drowning over the past week, in Marupa and Mavabe and we've had missing people," said Mirza Maguanda, PRM spokesman in Niassa, quoted by the newspaper.

"In Mandimba, we had the case of shipwreck due to the poor condition of the canoe in which the occupants were sailing. In the case of Sanga, it was due to the rise in the water level, or rather, the rise in the flow of the river," explain the authorities.