DOZENS KILLED AS RAMSHACKLE BOAT CAPSIZES

Divers retrieved 31 bodies and expected to find more after a boat believed to be overcrowded with nearly 100 passengers capsized on Lake Victoria, said Zurah Ganyana, a senior police officer at the scene.

The boat, on a routine cruise and full of mostly youthful revellers, overturned and sank at about 7 p.m. on Saturday, she said.

Among the many tragic stories was one of a man who went out to help rescue people and drowned when he was dragged underwater by a desperate passenger.

The MV Templa was in poor condition, had been grounded for some time and lacked a valid licence to operate, authorities said. Marine police tried to prevent the boat from embarking, but they were overwhelmed by the presence of two local princes among the passengers, they said.

“Such boats cannot carry more than 50 people,” said lawmaker Johnson Muyanja.

The steel vessel was said to have recently undergone repairs. It was in and out of business, its operators allegedly dodging inspectors who wanted to impound the boat, said Aggrey Bagiire, the state minister for transport.