Survivor of Comoros tragedy claims smugglers deliberately sank boat before fleeing

A survivor from the capsizing of a migrant boat that claimed 25 lives off the Comoros on Tuesday told AFP that smugglers sank the vessel and fled on a speedboat.

Authorities in the Indian Ocean nation have opened an investigation into the sinking late on Friday of a vessel transporting around 30 migrants from the Comoros island of Anjouan to the French Indian Ocean archipelago department of Mayotte.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) on Monday said that at least 25 people were killed and only five survived the sinking, the latest on a well-known route to smuggle people to Mayotte.

Among the survivors was a 19-year-old Comorian who said he only made it through because he knows how to swim.

"There were around 30 of us on board the boat. We left Marahare in Anjouan at around 7:00 pm (1600 GMT)," he told AFP by telephone from Anjouan, requesting anonymity.

"At around 10:00 pm, the traffickers deliberately let water into the hull by opening the plug. The boat's engine was switched off. The traffickers said the engine had broken down and refused to call for help."

"The smugglers left on another speedboat, leaving us for dead," he said.

"Luckily, I know how to swim, so I was able to stay afloat. And I was able to help two other people hang on to the hull. The next day, we were spotted by fishermen," he said. He said only four people survived. 

  From mainland Africa  

Anjouan is one of the three islands that make up the impoverished nation of Comoros and lies about 70 kilometres (43 miles) northwest of Mayotte, which became a department of France in 2011.

Despite being France's poorest department, Mayotte has French infrastructure and welfare, which makes it attractive to migrants from Comoros seeking a better life.

Many pay smugglers to make the dangerous sea crossing in rickety fishing boats known as "kwassa-kwassa".

"For the moment, the authorities are gathering information to understand what happened. A formal investigation will be carried out, and we hope to get to the bottom of this tragedy," said Fatima Ahamada, spokeswoman for the Comoros government.

"An investigation has already been opened," public prosecutor in Anjouan's main city of Mutsamudu, Mohamed Amane told AFP.

The young man said he had paid 300 euros (about $326) to be taken to Mayotte. He was returning after being expelled last May, having spent six years there.

"I wanted to go back by kwassa because that's where my life is. My brothers are also there," he said.

"I'm fine, even if my legs are burnt from the petrol," he said. A photo showing a large red wound on his leg was sent to AFP by a person who was sheltering the teenager in Anjouan.

Migrants are estimated to make up nearly half of Mayotte's population of around 320,000, according to the latest French statistics from 2017. Among them, 95 percent were Comorian.

The influx has caused major tensions including protests, with many locals complaining about crime.

Since December 2020, migrants from Africa have also been intercepted on routes to Mayotte, mainly from the Great Lakes region but also western and southern Africa and Madagascar, said IOM head of office in the Comoros, Sonia Rosi.

"The increase in intercepted migrants is growing exponentially," she said.

A common point of departure is the Tanzanian city of Mtwara, an IOM official said separately. The 370-kilometre crossing to the Comoros takes about three days, the official said.

There had been two similar tragedies in the same area in the past three months, according to Monday's IOM statement from its regional office for East and Horn of Africa.

In September, a boat with 12 people on board left the coast of Anjouan and never reached Mayotte.

In August, eight people including a 12-year-old boy lost their lives in a similar incident, it said.