Nine dead in pirogue shipwreck off Guinea-Bissau coast

BISSAU, June 26 (Xinhua) -- A pirogue capsized Wednesday evening off the coast of the Bijagos Islands in Guinea-Bissau, leaving nine of its 27 passengers dead, local media reported Thursday, citing eyewitness accounts of the tragedy.

The alert was raised by three passengers who survived the shipwreck, the same source said, adding that an intervention by Guinea-Bissau's maritime authorities revealed that the passengers on board were mainly from Guinea and Sierra Leone.

The pirogue, which was operating a route between Caravela Island in the Bolama-Bijagos region and a locality in Guinea, was carrying passengers engaged in dried fish trade. Enditem