Luanda - The number of deaths from the sinking of a fishing vessel, which happened on Saturday, on Cabo Island, in Luanda, rose to six, Sunday, the provincial commander of Civil Protection and Fire Services, Hermínio Cazucuto, informed.
In an interview with the press, the officer said that two more ladies, aged between 30 and 45, whose bodies were found between the vessel's nets.
“It was a fishing vessel which and was not suitable for transporting more than 10 passengers or crew”, he clarified.
The fire commissioner added that the chances of finding more people alive are “very small”, because, according to lifeguard experts, the individuals who were in the air pocket created in the basement had already been rescued.
“We have not yet declared the searches closed. We continue working on the boat, we continue collecting the net and only then will we see what the result will be,” he added.
The vessel has already been removed from the location and taken to a safer location, in order to enable the search work of the rescue teams, he explained.
He highlighted that the focus, at the moment, is the search for survivors or bodies to be handed over to families.
Hermínio Cazucuto called on people who wish to go to sea for any activity, to follow the legal advice of the authorities, starting with a life jacket and to owners not to exceed the capacity of the vessels, as well as not to carry out dangerous maneuvers.
Minister of the Interior monitors searches
the Minister of the Interior, Manuel Homem, noted the readiness of the staff to guarantee work to minimize the tragedy.
In an interview with the press, the minister assured that a large number of professionals were mobilized for searches, in addition to expressing solidarity with the families who lost loved ones in the sinking.
He reiterated the appeal to citizens, to always be in coordination with all bodies of the national security system, when carrying out activities at sea, to allow for better supervision and monitoring.
In turn, the auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Luanda, Dom Fernando Francisco, mentioned that, according to the testimonies, the processions are generally coordinated with the authorities and everyone adheres to these conditions.
He highlighted that because it is a public act, other individuals participate and as a result of this participation by others, the incident resulted. CPM/SEC/DOJ
