More than 100 dead in Tanzania ferry capsize on Lake Victoria

Tanzanian rescue workers scrambled on Friday to find scores of people feared drowned in a ferry capsize on Lake Victoria, Africa's largest lake, killing more than 100 people.

The MV Nyerere may have been carrying as many as 200 passengers — double the ferry's capacity — when it capsized close to the pier on Ukara Island on Thursday, state media reported.

Witnesses said the ferry capsized when passengers rushed to one side to disembark as it approached the dock.

The latest death toll more than doubled from the 44 confirmed dead on Thursday. The governor of Tanzania's Mwanza region, John Mongella, told state television that the number of survivors had also increased from 37 to 40 but it was unclear whether the additional survivors had been found since rescue operations resumed with police and army divers on Friday morning.

Rescue operations were suspended overnight and hopes are fading that more survivors might still be found.

Witnesses reported that more than 200 people had boarded the ferry at Bugolora, a town on the larger Ukerewe Island where it was market day, a time when the vessel is commonly packed with people and goods.

"I have not heard from either my father or my younger brother who were on the ferry. They had gone to the market in Bugolora to buy a school uniform and other supplies for the new school term," said Domina Maua, who was among those seeking information about loved ones.

Davita Ngenda, an elderly woman in Ukara, had already received bad news. "My son is among the bodies recovered," she said, weeping. "He had gone with his wife but she has not been found yet. My God, what did I do to deserve this?"

It remains unclear how many people are still missing.

Tanzania's Electrical, Mechanical and Services Agency, which is responsible for ferry services, said it was not known how many passengers were aboard the MV Nyerere.

The ageing 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 50 metres from Ukara dock.

The cause of the accident was not immediately clear, but overloading is frequently to blame for such incidents.

President John Magufuli was "deeply saddened" by the disaster and called on Tanzanians to "stay calm during these difficult times," according to spokesman Gerson Msigwa.

The country's opposition, however, 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.

Mr Mnyika said overloading was "another failure of the authorities" and criticised "inadequate relief efforts as well as delays" in the rescue operation.

With a surface area of 70,000 square kilometres, oval-shaped Lake Victoria is roughly the size of Ireland and is shared by Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya.

Capsizes are not uncommon, 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.

The deadliest such accident in recent decades was in May 1996, when about 800 people died after their ferry sank on the way to Mwanza in Tanzania.

Waters in the lake can be rough and boats are frequently poorly maintained, while ferry operators often fail to record the number of passengers on board.

About 20 people were killed in December 2016 when their boat overturned in Lake Victoria as it was carrying passengers to Uganda's mainland for Christmas holidays.

And in March 2012, only two survivors were found after a boat believed to be carrying about 60 people capsized on the lake in Uganda.

_______________

Read more:

Eight dead and thirteen missing as passenger boat capsizes in Indonesia

22 schoolchildren drown in Nile boat sinking in Sudan

_______________