13 Somalis found dead in a bush in Mozambique

A map of Mozambique. PHOTO | GOOGLE MAP 

By ARNALDO VIEIRA
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Bodies of 13 Somalis believed to have suffocated in the back of a container truck were discovered on Tuesday in a village in central Mozambique.

According to the authorities, the bodies were found dumped in a bush some 200 metres from a police station in Cheringoma in Sofala Province.

The Mozambican government said investigations are ongoing but did not give any details.

A government source quoted in the local O País newspaper said the Somalia nationals were suspected illegal immigrants travelling from the north to south of the country.

“They were probably illegal migrants who were being ferried in a container truck and may have died of suffocation.

“As soon as the driver realised they were dead, he threw them in the bush,” the source told O País.

The southern African country is a major transit route for migrants, used by human traffickers to ferry Somalis and Ethiopians to South Africa.

In May, Mozambique deported 24 Ethiopians found with fake visas.