This archive report was first published on 4 July 2019.
On July 4, 2019, a devastating fishing boat tragedy struck off the Caribbean coast of Honduras, claiming the lives of at least 27 people and leaving nine missing.
According to Armed Forces Spokesman Jose Meza, 55 people survived the disaster when the 70-tonne vessel, the 'Wallie,' sank in the remote coastal Mosquitia region.
The boat had set sail from Cabo Gracias a Dios, Honduras' easternmost point bordering Nicaragua, after a seasonal ban on lobster fishing was lifted.
Meza stated that the bodies and survivors would be taken to Puerto Lempira, the main city in eastern Honduras, for further assistance.
Just hours before the 'Wallie' sank, another overloaded fishing boat, the 'Miss Francely,' went under in the same area, with 49 people rescued from the vessel, which had a capacity to carry only 31 people.
As authorities investigate the cause of the disaster, the head of the Honduran Merchant Marine, Juan Carlos Rivera, announced that navigation permits for boats with excessive passenger capacity would be suspended for up to three years.
