Cabinda – At least 10 fishermen from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have been saved by the Angolan maritime authorities after being adrift for several days in the national territorial waters.
According to a note from the Migration and Foreigners Service (SME) in Cabinda that reached Angop on Monday, the incident happened on November 26, when the fishermen were fishing in the southern area of Vila de Muanda (DRC), maritime and river border with Angola’s Cabinda province.
The document explains that after a breakdown in the outboard engine of the vessel, the fishermen were dragged by the currents of the Zaire river to the oil platforms of Malongo region, where they were rescued.
The fishermen have already been handed over to the DRC authorities on Friday (27), on the land border of Yema, south of Cabinda, in the framework of the existing diplomatic agreements between Angola and that country, and the United Nations International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS-1974).
The provincial director of the SME in Cabinda, João Joveth Ângelo, who coordinated the multi-sectoral provincial commission, delivered the 10 rescued fishermen to the authorities of the migration services.
Nelumbu Jean, one of the victims, thanked the Cabinda migration authorities and the maritime services for the rescue, explaining that on the night of November 26, around they were surprised by gusts of wind, accompanied by strong waves, which caused the shipwreck.
After several attempts, he explained, they managed to put the boat in a favorable position that allowed the navigators to be dragged by the currents to the Malongo oil platforms.
