Twenty-one people have been charged with manslaughter in the investigation into the sinking of a mini-ferry that killed 30 people and left seven missing a month ago in Gabon, the Libreville public prosecutor announced Saturday.
On March 9, the Esther Miracle, which linked the capital to the oil port of Port-Gentil, capsized in the middle of the night and only 124 people out of the 161 officially recorded occupants were rescued.
The government of this small Central African country was quick to point to possible serious errors concerning the navigation permits issued for this mixed passenger and freight vessel belonging to the private company Royal Cost Marine (RCM). It sank only ten kilometers from the coast. The survivors and the families of the victims also blamed the slowness of the rescue operation.
Dozens of people were then questioned in police custody as part of the investigation, including officials from the merchant navy, the Ministry of Transport and executives from the RCM.