South African authorities suspect foul play after burned boat washes ashore with no sign of captain

close Video

Fox News Flash top headlines for March 18

Fox News Flash top headlines are here. Check out what’s clicking on Foxnews.com.

South African authorities searching for a missing charter boat captain are concerned about possible foul play after they discovered his vessel burned and abandoned on a beach in neighboring Mozambique, but no sign of him or the unknown man who hired him.

The National Sea Rescue Institute raised the alarm over captain John Matambu and his passenger after they didn’t return to Sodwana Bay on South Africa’s northeastern coast on Saturday evening having gone out early that morning.

The charred wreck of Matambu’s speed boat, Magnum Too, was discovered by a search plane on Sunday in the Dobela area of Mozambique, some 105 miles up the coast.

UK REPORTS SUSPECTED PIRATE HIJACKING OFF SOMALI COAST

“Both men remain missing in unknown circumstances,” the National Sea Rescue Institute said.

Matambu’s cousin told local media that a petrol canister and a medical kit were found near the boat.

The South African flag flies against an overcast sky in St. Petersburg, Russia, Sept. 15, 2015. (Photo by Maksim Konstantinov/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

The NSRI said some of the circumstances “appear to indicate that foul play may be involved.”

The man who hired Matambu to take him out on the 21-foot boat apparently gave false contact details, NSRI spokesperson Craig Lambinon said. The booking was made for a man, his wife and a child, but only the man boarded the boat, Lambinon said.

“Hopes are that this has all been a misunderstanding, and foul play was not involved, but at this stage all possibilities are being examined,” Lambinon told national broadcaster SABC. “The fact that the boat has been found across the border is obviously the difficulty now.”

The NSRI received a report that the boat was spotted at 10 p.m. Saturday night heading north toward Mozambican waters, it said, the last sighting before its charred hull was discovered the following day.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The Police Sea Borderline Control agency and the Police Search and Rescue unit are also involved in the search. Authorities described Matambu as a well-known, experienced and respected boat captain in Sodwana Bay.