Ten Ethiopians presumed drowned in Zambezi crossing

Ten Ethiopians are believed to have drowned after a canoe carrying migrants capsized while trying to cross the Zambezi River from Zambia into Botswana, Zambian officials said Wednesday.

Police and immigration officials said in a joint statement that 15 Ethiopians attempted the crossing on Monday night. Two survivors were arrested, and authorities said 10 people are believed to have drowned. The whereabouts of three other reported survivors were unknown.

Authorities identified the two detained survivors as Ethiopian men aged 33 and 35. They said the 33-year-old had no documents, while the 35-year-old had a passport but allegedly did not present himself to an immigration officer when entering Zambia.

Officials said no bodies had been recovered, and the reported drowning of the 10 people remained unconfirmed pending the outcome of an ongoing search operation.

The source said migrants often use rivers to bypass official border posts across southern Africa. It also said a previous AFP report documented migrants crossing the crocodile-infested Limpopo River from Zimbabwe into South Africa on makeshift rafts. The Zambezi is Africa's fourth-longest river and flows through or along the borders of Zambia, Angola, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mozambique.