OVER 100 DEAD AFTER TANZANIA FERRY SINKS ON LAKE VICTORIA

KAMPALA,UGANDA: At least 136 people died after a ferry capsized and sank on Lake Victoria, Tanzania state media reported on Friday.

At least 37 people had been rescued from the sunken ferry as of Thursday.

The MV Nyerere may have been carrying as many as 200 passengers, double the ferry’s capacity, when it sank close to the pier on Ukara Island on Thursday, according to state media reports.

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

Rescue operations were suspended overnight and hopes are fading that more survivors might still be found, a day after the vessel sank. State television cited witnesses reporting that more than 200 people had boarded the ferry at Bugolora, a town on the larger Ukerewe Island, where it was market day when locals said the vessel was usually 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.

Tanzania’s Electrical, Mechanical and Services Agency, which is responsible for ferry services, said it was unknown 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 around 50 metres from Ukara dock.