MV Ilala aborts journey on Lake Malawi amid strong Mwera winds  

Passengers aboard MV Ilala on Tuesday night prayed ceaselessly as strong Mwera winds ceaselessly pounded the ship, knocking off its lights soon after leaving Likoma island for Nkhotakota.

Some passengers who were on board the MV Ilala said the situation got out of hand as the ship was heading to Nkhotakota on its way to Monkey Bay.

“The waters were really rough. We were sailing in choppy waters. The lights went off and one of the engines went off. The captain then announced that he had lost campus direction, this was the time we thought we were dying,” said one of the passengers Mark Banda.

He said the captain managed to steer the ship in the total darkness and announced that they would be returning to Nkhata Bay, aborting the Monkey Bay trip on the middle of the lake.

Mota Engil spokesperson Thomas Chafunya said the the captain returned to Nkhata Bay for the safety of the passengers.

He said the ship will embark on the journey as soon as the weather improves.

Meteorological and Climate Change director Jerome Nkhokwe said the strong mwera winds are expected to disappear over the weekend.