The Cameroonian Government said 30 people are missing after a boat belonging to its Rapid Intervention Brigade, a military unit sank off the coast on Sunday.
According to a statement from the president’s office, the logistics boat belonged to the Brigade, which has fought Nigerian Islamist group Boko Haram in recent years.
Authorities said that the boat was carrying 37 people when it capsized early Sunday morning.
According to AFP, the boat “capsized on Sunday between the city of Limbe and Bakassi.
There were dozens of troops on board, including a colonel,” the source told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The presidency said three soldiers were rescued but 34 passengers are still unaccounted for.
Government said the accident, at the northern end of the coast near the village of Debunsha, is believed to have been caused by rough waters but investigations are underway to learn more.
Cameroon has deployed thousands of soldiers to its Far North region to beat back a Boko Haram insurgency that has killed more than 20,000 people in the Lake Chad region and displaced more than 2.7 million.
The militant group has repeatedly attacked Cameroon. Last month, two children carrying explosives killed at least nine people when they blew themselves up near a camp for displaced persons. (Reuters)
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