Tanzanian rescue workers yesterday scrambled to find scores of people feared drowned after a ferry capsized in Lake Victoria, Africa’s largest lake, killing more than 100 people.
State radio TBC Taifa gave the death toll, quoting Inspector General of Police Simon Sirro.
The MV Nyerere might have been carrying as many as 200 passengers — double its capacity — when it capsized close to the pier on Ukara Island on Thursday, state media reported.
Witnesses said that the ferry capsized when passengers rushed to one side to disembark as it approached the dock.
Mwanza Governor John Mongella told state television that another 42 bodies had been found yesterday morning, in addition to 44 the day before.
The number of survivors had also increased from 37 to 40, Mongella added, but it was unclear whether the additional survivors had been found since rescue operations resumed with police and army divers yesterday morning.
The state broadcaster citing witnesses said that more than 200 people had boarded the ferry at Bugolora on market day, when the vessel is usually packed with people and goods.
Sebastian John, a teacher, said such tragedies had become part of life for those living on the lake.
“Since my birth, people have gone to their deaths on this lake, but what are we to do? We did not choose to be born here, we have nowhere to go,” he said.
It remains unclear how many people are still missing.
Tanzania’s Electrical, Mechanical and Services Agency said it was unknown how many passengers were aboard the MV Nyerere.
The aging ferry, whose hull and propellers were all that remained visible after it overturned, was also carrying cargo, including sacks of maize, bananas and cement, when it capsized about 50m from Ukara dock.
The cause of the accident was not immediately clear, but overloading is frequently to blame for such incidents.
Tanzanian President John Magufuli was “deeply saddened” by the disaster and called on people to “stay calm during these difficult times,” spokesman Gerson Msigwa said.
However, the nation’s opposition accused the government of negligence.
“We have often raised concerns about the poor condition of this ferry, but the government turned a deaf ear. We have repeatedly denounced this negligence,” said John Mnyika, deputy secretary general of Chadema, the main opposition party.
Overloading was “another failure of the authorities,” Mnyika said, criticizing “inadequate relief efforts as well as delays” in the rescue operation.
With a surface area of 70,000km2, oval-shaped Lake Victoria is about the size of Ireland and is shared by Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya.
Capsizes are not uncommon in the massive lake, and the number of fatalities is often high due to a shortage of life jackets and the fact that many people in the region cannot swim.
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