Mauritius: 3 Sailors Die after Tugboat Capsizes

At least three sailors have been confirmed dead after their tugboat collided with a barge off the coast of Mauritius.

The tugboat had been assisting in cleaning up an oil spill off the island nation’s coast, an incident that occurred on 25 July when a Japanese bulk carrier – the ‘MV Wakashio’ – ran aground a nearby coral reef.

Nearly two weeks later, the hull cracked and thousands of tonnes of crude oil spilled into the sea, killing off marine life including dozens of dolphins.

Per reports, the tugboat – known as ‘Sir Gaetan Duval’ – was towing the empty barge away from the bulk carrier towards Port Louis on Monday evening, 31 August. However, bad weather and heavy seas led the barge to ram into the vessel.

Despite sending out distress signals between 7:30PM and 8PM, the tugboat ultimately capsized near the Mauritian village of Poudre D’or.

Four crew members were soon rescued from the incident by a helicopter. However, at least two crew members remain missing.