A second boat sank near Malakal on Tuesday just two days after an accident in which more than 200 people drowned. The boat was carrying people desperate to leave the city after it came under attack by forces loyal to Riek Machar.
Tuesday’s accident caused the death of an unknown number of people amid continuing fighting in the Upper Nile State capital. A government official confirmed that at least four people died, but eyewitnesses told Radio Tamazuj that dozens of people did not make it to the shores and likely drowned.
The boat left Tuesday around 10:00 a.m. from the Malakal dock, said Farami Kur, one of the sons of the Shilluk king and an eyewitness of the incident. He saw hundreds of people lining up at the departure point of the boats in Malakal scrambling for a seat.
After the pilot set off with an estimated 60 to 70 people the craft was seen to be very unstable. After only a few minutes the boat started to capsize and people jumped out.
From across the river some small canoes came trying to rescue people, including many children. “But they could only save a few people, many were drowned,” Kur told Radio Tamazuj.
Another witness arriving in Fashoda after leaving Malakal confirmed the story in detail. Bonifacio Kor estimated that at least 75 people were on board the boat that was leaving for Lelo.
“We have seen only four people being rescued, some few might have swum to the side of the river, but actually we saw bodies floating away. We have counted at least five bodies found in the nearby village north of Malakal, called Wau,” he said.
“I took the boat today to Fashoda and we saw that they were still finding bodies on Thursday, but the phone network was down, so we could not receive the information of the total number they had found,” he added.
Upper Nile’s Minister of Information, Philip Jiben, who himself fled to Fashoda, confirmed the second boat incident, but noted he had only received official confirmation of the death of four people, he told Radio Tamazuj.
Jiben described a scene of panic at the launching dock in Malakal. People were pushing each other in a huge crowd, causing some people to be shoved into the water. He claims also to have seen ten people killed in violence in Malakal before his departure from the city.
The minister also denied that Machar forces have control over the city. Around 20,000 people have sought shelter in the UNMISS compound, where they lack food, fresh water and medical services, he added.
File photo: Boats at a port in Upper Nile (Radio Tamazuj)
Related coverage: Over 200 people drown in boat accident while fleeing Malakal (13 Jan.)