70 People Rescued After Ibada Injema Boat Stalled on Lake Malawi for 17 Hours
Published on November 11, 2025 at 10:33 AM by Evance Kapito
About 70 passengers have been rescued safely after spending nearly 17 hours stranded on Lake Malawi when the Ibada Injema boat malfunctioned on its way to Likoma and Chizumulu Islands.
According to Feston Kaliwa, one of the passengers, the boat which was also carrying various goods left Nkhata Bay Port around 2 PM on November 10 heading for Likoma. However, its engines failed mid-journey, leaving the vessel drifting helplessly on the water.
Kaliwa added that the water pumps also stopped working, causing panic among the roughly 70 people on board as water began seeping in.
Efforts to rescue the passengers were immediately launched by Likoma District Disaster Risk Management Officer, Tamanda Nkhoma, who confirmed that a rescue operation was underway, with another boat and life jackets dispatched to assist the stranded travelers.
By last night, 15 passengers had already been rescued, and the remaining ones were safely brought ashore earlier today.
One of the survivors, Chrissy Mwase, said the ordeal began when the boat’s engine started taking in water, forcing it to stop in the middle of the lake.
Likoma District Commissioner, Abubakar Nkhoma, said authorities are still verifying the exact number of people rescued, which will be confirmed once everyone has arrived safely at Chizumulu Island.
Reports indicate that the Ibada Injema, which is registered in Mozambique, was involved in a similar incident on the same lake not long ago.
