At least 252 people died in the last nine months of this year as a result of accidents in Mozambican waters.

Nampula province recorded the most deaths, with a total of 111, followed by Sofala, 44, Zambézia, 20, and Inhambane, Niassa and Maputo, with 15, 14 and 13, respectively.

The information was provided by Elvira Matola, director of the Safety, Inspection and Maritime Communications Division of the National Maritime Institute (INAMAR), quoted by "Notícias."

The source noted that despite the significant drop in shipwrecks compared to last year, this year there were more fatalities, due to the impact of the accident in Lunga, on the island of Mozambique, in which 98 people died.

The number of drownings increased by 17 cases, with 94 incidents recorded in the last nine months of this year.

According to the same source, the majority of maritime accidents are the result of failure to comply with the weather report, overcrowding of vessels or poor maintenance, lack of safety equipment on the more than 450,000 boats that fish and transport people and goods in the country.

In order to reduce the accident rate, INAMAR is working to intensify its presence at the main points of embarkation and disembarkation of passengers and cargo