3 killed in French archipelago shipwreck

Three people were killed and 13 others went missing when a boat carrying immigrants drowned today in the Indian Ocean off the French overseas territory of Mayotte. According to the local prefect’s office, the boat was coming from Anjouan (one of the Comoros islands) which lies around 100 kilometers from the place. Out of the 24 people on board, eight were rescued and three bodies recovered, while 13 people were declared missing. Operations are underway to locate more survivors, the office added. The boat sank late Sunday, 300 meters off the border of Dapani south Petit Terre island, which is part of the archipelago, French media reported. The new incident comes a month after another disaster in which six people were killed and 27 others were declared missing. Thousands of Comorans, mostly from Anjouan, arrive each year to the French archipelago in search of work or medical treatment. Forty percent of the archipelago’s population of 200,000 inhabitants are illegal immigrants.