The death toll from the sinking of a small ferry off the coast of Gabon has risen to 21 after the discovery of 15 new bodieswhile the search for the missing persons continues, the prosecutor announced on Tuesday.

The previous balance reported six deaths, including at least one child. A total of 124 people were rescued alive since Thursday, of the 161 passengers and crew identified by authorities.

Fifteen other bodies were recovered, Libreville prosecutor André Patrick Roponat said six days after the attack “Esther Miracle”, a mixed passenger and cargo ship, connecting Libreville to the oil port of Port-Gentil, sank off the coast in the middle of Thursday night.

The ship, whose construction date is unknown, was purchased and launched on this route last November and is owned by a private company, Royal Cost Marine (RCM).

The vast majority of survivors were rescued at dawn on Thursday thanks to the intervention of canoes, fishermen, a private oil company vessel and a French Navy patrol boat.

The shipwreck happened near the coast, at the entrance of the gulf where Libreville is located, the capital of this small Central African country rich in hydrocarbons.