At least 29 people died when a small ferry sank off Gabon on March 9 and eight others are missing after a body was recovered on Thursday, according to a new death toll released by the government.
Fifteen days after the tragedy, researchers continue to search for the remains of the missing, the government said on its website on Friday.
One hundred and twenty-four shipwrecked men had been rescued alive by the Esther Miracle’s 161 occupants, who were officially registered on board, when she reached the Port-Gentil oil port from the capital Libreville on the night of March 8-9.
This mixed passenger and cargo ship owned by the private company Royal Cost Marine (RCM) sank ten kilometers off the coast in the middle of the night.
Its deterioration and unfitness for passenger transport have been questioned, particularly by local media, families and civil society groups.
On March 17, the Libreville Attorney’s Office announced the arrest of 33 people since the tragedy as part of a criminal investigation to determine the causes of the sinking, including officials from the Department of Transportation, the Merchant Marine and executives of RCM.
Since then, nothing has been leaked about the investigation.
Shipwrecked people have also testified in various media outlets that they were not guided by the crew during the evacuation, remained in the water for many hours, and held on to floated inflatable boats or their lifebuoys before arriving for first aid despite Libreville’s proximity.
The shipwreck happened not far from the entrance to the gulf that protects Libreville and the lack of responsiveness of the rescue services is also publicly questioned in the media and by the survivors, who were rescued first by small fishermen and then by a private company barge.
“There are too many negligences, compromises, privileges and small agreements, the transport sector is particularly affected, whether by sea, land or rail,” Prime Minister Alain-Claude Bilie-By-Nze estimated on March 17, promising “administrative sanctions “. without prejudice to criminal penalties”.
“I also note with regret that the phenomenon of corruption in our administration is becoming more and more worrying,” concluded the Prime Minister the day after the resignation of Transport Minister Brice Paillat.