Hundreds Drown with More Than 200 Feared Dead as MV Nyerere Ferry Capsizes

A Tanzanian ferry, MV Nyerere, on Thursday afternoon capsized in Lake Victoria claiming more than 163 lives with fears of the number rising to 200.

MV Nyerere ferry sank near the Ukara Island according to local officials and is estimated to have had more than 300 passengers. It was traveling between the Bugorara and Ukala islands near Mwanza.

Tanzania Electrical, Mechanical and Electronics Services Agency (TEMESA) confirmed the tragic incident in a statement released to newsrooms adding that rescue efforts were ongoing.

MV Nyerere is reported to have capsized when it was approaching docking 20 people were rescued by fishermen immediately according to a Tanzanian newspaper, The Citizen.

“We pray to God to give us hope in such an accident,” said Tanzania’s Regional Commissioner, Adam Malima.

Accidents are not uncommon on Lake Victoria with crowding and overloading being the order of the day.

The death toll is expected to rise as the rescue mission was halted on Thursday night to be continued on Friday dawn reducing survival chances of the accident victims.

It was difficult to establish the exact number of passengers on the MV Nyerere as the person dispensing tickets had drowned and ticket dispenser machine was yet to be found.

Theresia Mwami, TEMESA’s Spokeswoman, said the maintenance team had overhauled two engines recently.

MV Nyerere brings back memories of 1996 when a cargo and passenger ferry sank killing hundreds of passengers. 2011 and 2012 too saw hundreds of deaths as ferries sank near Zanzibar.