logo
Boat ferrying 19 missing near Comoros

Boat ferrying 19 missing near Comoros

Express Tribune23-06-2025
Rescue services were searching for a boat carrying 19 people that has gone missing between Madagascar and its destination, the Comoros, Comoran Transport Minister Hassane Alfeine Yasmine said.
The boat has been missing for two days and the neighbouring Indian Ocean territories of Mauritius and Seychelles have also been alerted, the minister told AFP.
The boat left Majunga, northeast Madagascar Monday, June 16, and had been due at the Comoros island of Mutsamudu on Thursday, Yasmine added.
"On board, there were 14 Malagasy, four Comorians and one Afghan," she said.
All were men except for a young woman, the daughter of the owner of the boat, the minister said. The boat was flying the Madagascar flag. "Immediately after the alert, the Comorian government contacted all competent authorities, including the gendarmerie, coastguards and the sub-region to help in the search," she said.
She was also in touch with the transport minister in Madagascar, she added.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

8.8-magnitude quake jolts Russia's far east
8.8-magnitude quake jolts Russia's far east

Express Tribune

time3 hours ago

  • Express Tribune

8.8-magnitude quake jolts Russia's far east

This image courtesy of the US Geological Survey shows the epicenter of the earthquake. Photo: AFP One of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded struck Russia's sparsely populated Far East on Wednesday, causing tsunamis up to four metres (12 feet) high across the Pacific and sparking evacuations from Hawaii to Japan. The magnitude 8.8 quake struck off Petropavlovsk on Russia's Kamchatka peninsula and was the largest since 2011 when one of magnitude 9.1 off Japan caused a tsunami that killed more than 15,000 people. Almost two million people in Japan were told to head to higher ground and tsunami warnings were issued across the region, before being rescinded or downgraded -- though scientists warned of the danger of powerful aftershocks. While the immediate area around the quake seemed to have been spared, people on the other side of the Pacific were gearing up for the impact of a tsunami expected to hit overnight. Ecuador's Galapagos Islands off the west coast of South America closed visitor sites and schools, ushering tourists to dry land as a precaution. "The boats haven't gone out to fish," said a fisherwoman in Puerto Ayora on the islands who did not want to be named. "We've been warned through the loudspeakers that it's best not to approach the coastline." In Russia's far east, a tsunami flooded the port town of Severo-Kurilsk, crashing through the port area and submerging the local fishing plant, officials said. Russian state television footage showed it sweep buildings and debris into the sea. Authorities said the population of around 2,000 people had been evacuated. The waves reached as far as the town's World War II monument about 400 metres from the shoreline, said Mayor Alexander Ovsyannikov. Several people were injured in Russia by the quake, state media reported, but none seriously. "The walls were shaking," a Kamchatka resident told state media Zvezda. "It's good that we packed a suitcase, there was one with water and clothes near the door. We quickly grabbed it and ran out... It was very scary," she said. Later Wednesday, the authorities in the Kamchatka peninsula announced the tsunami warning had been lifted. Officials from countries with a Pacific coastline in North and South America — including the United States, Mexico, Ecuador and Colombia — issued warnings to avoid threatened beaches and low-lying areas.

34 dead in Vietnam tourist boat capsize
34 dead in Vietnam tourist boat capsize

Express Tribune

time20-07-2025

  • Express Tribune

34 dead in Vietnam tourist boat capsize

This handout photograph taken on July 19, 2025 and released by the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) shows relief personnel gathered around a capsized tourist boat (L) during a search and rescue operation in the Ha Long Bay, Quang Ninh province. Photo: AFP A tourist boat ferrying families around Vietnam's Ha Long Bay capsized in a storm on Saturday afternoon, leaving at least 34 people dead, according to state media reports, as rescuers scrambled to locate the missing. The vessel was carrying 48 passengers and five crew members when it capsized in the UNESCO World Heritage site because of sudden heavy rain, the VNExpress news site said. Most of those on board were families visiting from the capital Hanoi, with more than 20 children among the passengers, it said. "Border guards rescued 11 people and recovered 34 bodies," it added. Rescue efforts were set to continue into the night to find the eight still missing. Ha Long Bay office worker Tran Trong Hung told AFP the storm started in the afternoon. "The sky turned dark at around 2 pm (0700 GMT)," he said. There were "hailstones as big as toes with torrential rain, thunderstorm and lightning", he said. One of the rescued, a 10-year-old boy, told state media outlet VietnamNet: "I took a deep breath, swam through a gap, dived, then swam up. I even shouted for help, then I was pulled up by a boat with soldiers." Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh sent his condolences to the families of the deceased and called on the defense and public security ministries to conduct urgent search and rescue. Authorities would "investigate and clarify the cause of the incident and strictly handle violations", a statement on the government website said. Torrential rain also lashed northern Hanoi, Thai Nguyen and Bac Ninh provinces on Saturday. In the capital about 175 kilometres (110 miles) away, several trees were knocked down by strong winds.

Pakistan bans new hotel construction around tourist lakes
Pakistan bans new hotel construction around tourist lakes

Business Recorder

time18-07-2025

  • Business Recorder

Pakistan bans new hotel construction around tourist lakes

GILGIT: Pakistan will ban for five years the construction of new hotels around picturesque lakes in the north that attract tens of thousands of tourists each year, a government agency said. Unregulated construction of hotels and guest houses in Gilgit-Baltistan – which boasts around 13,000 glaciers, more than any other country on Earth outside the polar regions – has sparked major concerns about environmental degradation. The natural beauty of the region has made it a top tourist destination, with towering peaks looming over the Old Silk Road, and a highway transporting tourists between cherry orchards, glaciers, and ice-blue lakes. However, in recent years construction has exploded led by companies from outside the region, straining water and power resources, and increasing waste. 'If we let them construct hotels at such pace, there will be a forest of concrete,' Khadim Hussain, a senior official at the Gilgit-Baltistan Environmental Protection Authority told AFP on Friday. 'People don't visit here to see concrete; people come here to enjoy natural beauty,' he added. Last month, a foreign tourist posted a video on Instagram – which quickly went viral – alleging wastewater was being discharged by a hotel into Lake Attabad, which serves as a freshwater source for Hunza. The next day, authorities fined the hotel more than $5,000. Nine dead, 14 missing as flash flood sweeps tourists in Swat River Asif Sakhi, a political activist and resident of the Hunza Valley, welcomed the ban. 'We have noticed rapid changes in the name of tourism and development,' he said, adding hotel construction was 'destroying our natural lakes and rivers'. Shah Nawaz, a hotel manager and local resident of the valley, also praised the ban, saying he believes 'protecting the environment and natural beauty is everyone's responsibility'.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store