Mozambique police says 9 are dead and 40 still missing after boat sinks off northern coast

MAPUTO, Mozambique – MAPUTO, Mozambique (AP) — A police spokesman says at least nine people have died and 40 are missing and feared dead after a boat sunk off the coast of northern Mozambique.

Pedro Cossa, spokesman for Mozambique's general command, told Radio Mozambique that 33 people have been rescued from the shipwreck May 31 off the coast of the the northern province of Cabo Delgado. He said all of those aboard the ship were Somali.

Cossa said efforts are still underway to recover the bodies of those missing. He said police did not receive news of the tragedy until Tuesday because of communication problems in the area.

Police have frequently picked up groups of refugees in northern Mozambique, who they say may use the country as a corridor to reach neighbouring South Africa.