Four Dutch tourists found after speedboat goes missing in Malawi

Four Dutch tourists who were reported missing when a speedboat failed to return from a trip on Lake Malawi have been found safe.

Malawian authorities put out an alert after the Tanzanian-registered boat failed to arrive at the expected time at Nkhata Bay on Sunday.

Three crew members, two from Malawi and one from Tanzania, were also on board, but there had been no contact from the vessel since it left Mbamba Bay, on the Tanzanian side of the lake, between 10am and 11am.

The Dutch foreign affairs ministry said the visitors were safely on land and had been given medical assistance, but did not give any further details of their condition, citing privacy concerns.

“Thanks to the search operation by the local authorities, in co-operation with the embassy, this worrying situation has thankfully been concluded.”

The speedboat belonged to a Tanzanian businessman, who alerted the authorities when he was unable to contact the crew and visitors on board, local news site the Nyasa Times reported.

Boats crossing the lake are required to register their arrival time with the port master 24 hours in advance, but this protocol was not followed. Local fishermen, boat operators and lakeshore communities were all urged to look out for the missing vessel during the search operation.