UKARA: Tanzania declared the whole nation was in mourning on Sunday (Sep 23) as the first dozen bodies were buried from a devastating ferry capsize on Lake Victoria that left people 224 dead.

Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa led "national funerals" on the island of Ukara, where the MV Nyerere had been coming in to dock on Thursday.

He spoke of "great mourning by the whole nation" as the first coffins were placed in individual graves, many of the victims unidentified.

The remainder of the dead were to be buried later or taken away by families wishing for privates funerals.

The prime minister said a memorial would be built on Ukara.

Hopes had faded of finding any more survivors three days after the disaster, even after rescuers pulled out an engineer on Saturday who had holed up in an air pocket in the upturned vessel.

But Majaliwa said divers would continue the grim search in the waters around the boat. The ferry would also be refloated.

He updated the death toll to 126 women, 71 men, 17 girls and 10 boys. Just 41 people survived.

Transport Minister Isack Kamwelwe said 265 people had been on board the ferry, which had an official capacity of around a hundred passengers.

The prime minister said initial investigations suggested overloading was one of the causes of the accident.

"We have already arrested all those people in charge of operating and supervising the MV Nyerere. Questioning has begun," he said.

A broader commission of inquiry into the disaster would also be set up, Majaliwa added.

Witnesses told AFP that the ferry sank when passengers rushed to one side to disembark as it approached the dock. Others blamed the captain, saying he had made a brusque manoeuvre.

The Tanzanian presidency announced on Sunday evening that the inquiry had been "entrusted to the defence and security authorities".

Transport minister Kamwelwe said on Saturday that 172 of the bodies had been identified by relatives.

Dozens of wooden coffins had lined the shore on Saturday, waiting to be seen by families as police and volunteers sought to keep hundreds of curious locals at bay.

Aisha William came to collect the body of her husband. "He left on Tuesday around noon, but he never came home. I do not know how I am going to raise my two children," she said.

Ahmed Caleb, a 27-year-old trader, railed at a tragedy "which could have been prevented.

"I've lost my boss, friends, people I went to school with," he said.

The ageing vessel, whose hull and propellers were all that remained visible above water, was also carrying cargo, including sacks of maize, bananas and cement, when it capsized.

With a surface area of 70,000 square kilometres (27,000 square miles), oval-shaped Lake Victoria is roughly the size of Ireland and is shared by Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya.

It is not uncommon for ferries to capsize on the lake, and the number of fatalities is often high due to a shortage of life jackets and the fact that many local people cannot swim.

In 1966, more than 800 people lost their lives on Lake Victoria when the MV Bukoba sank off the mainland town of Mwanza, according to the Red Cross.</s>Burials have started of the 224 people who died when a ferry capsized on Lake Victoria, Tanzania’s State broadcaster has said.

The bodies of 172 people who died in the boat tragedy have been identified, Tanzania’s Minister of Works, Transport and Communication Isack Kamwelwe said.

The bodies of 37 others have not been identified, he told the broadcaster.

On Saturday rescuers found a survivor two days after the tragedy.

The man was identified as an engineer of the ferry who had locked himself in the engine room.

Video footage showed the man, barefoot and head lolling, being carried quickly along a busy street by medical workers and military personnel as a siren wailed.

His condition was not immediately known.

No further survivors were likely to be found and search efforts had ended, defence minister Venance Mabeyo told reporters at the scene.

He said officials would continue working to identify the dead.

However, the total number of deaths may never be known as no one is sure how many people were on the overcrowded ferry, which officials said had a capacity of 101.

The boat tipped over as people returning from a busy market day with their goods prepared to disembark, while horrified fishermen and others watched.

At least 40 people were rescued, officials said.

President John Magufuli has ordered the arrests of those responsible.

He said the ferry captain already had been detained after leaving the steering to someone who was not properly trained, The Citizen newspaper reported.

“This is a great disaster for our nation,” Mr Magufuli told the nation in a televised address, announcing four days of national mourning</s>Burials have started of the 224 people who died when a ferry capsized on Lake Victoria, Tanzania’s State broadcaster has said.

The bodies of 172 people who died in the boat tragedy have been identified, Tanzania’s Minister of Works, Transport and Communication Isack Kamwelwe said.

The bodies of 37 others have not been identified, he told the broadcaster.

Residents and relatives of the victims of the MV Nyerere passenger ferry wait on the shore (Andrew Kasuku/AP)

On Saturday rescuers found a survivor two days after the tragedy.

The man was identified as an engineer of the ferry who had locked himself in the engine room.

Video footage showed the man, barefoot and head lolling, being carried quickly along a busy street by medical workers and military personnel as a siren wailed.

His condition was not immediately known.

No further survivors were likely to be found and search efforts had ended, defence minister Venance Mabeyo told reporters at the scene.

He said officials would continue working to identify the dead.

However, the total number of deaths may never be known as no one is sure how many people were on the overcrowded ferry, which officials said had a capacity of 101.

The boat tipped over as people returning from a busy market day with their goods prepared to disembark, while horrified fishermen and others watched.

At least 40 people were rescued, officials said.

President John Magufuli has ordered the arrests of those responsible.

Residents and relatives of the victims (AP)

He said the ferry captain already had been detained after leaving the steering to someone who was not properly trained, The Citizen newspaper reported.

“This is a great disaster for our nation,” Mr Magufuli told the nation in a televised address, announcing four days of national mourning</s>DAR ES SALAAM (Reuters) - Tanzanian authorities said on Sunday the number of people who died in a ferry that capsized in Lake Victoria had risen to 224 and the vessel’s managers had been detained for questioning.

The ferry, MV Nyerere, sank on Thursday evening just a few metres from the dock on Ukerewe, the lake’s biggest island.

Works, Transport and Communication Minister Isack Kamwelwe told state broadcaster TBC the death toll had risen to 224 as of Sunday afternoon.

The definitive cause of the capsizing is not yet known but officials have said preliminary investigation shows the ferry was carrying more people than legally permitted.

Boat accidents on Lake Victoria, which is shared by the East African countries of Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya, are common often caused by lax safety laws, weak enforcement and old and poorly maintained vessels.

Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa told TBC officials involved in managing the ferry had been detained.

“The government will form a special investigation commission of experts which will investigate the source of the accident and legal measures will be taken against all who were involved in causing the tragedy,” he said.

A search and rescue team has been attempting to flip the ship, which is belly up in the waters, back to its normal position so it can be towed to the dock. General Venance Mabeyo, the head of the military, said this could take two to three days.</s>Burials have started of the 224 people who died when a ferry capsized on Lake Victoria, Tanzania’s State broadcaster has said. The bodies of 172 people who died in the boat tragedy have been identified, Tanzania’s Minister of Works, Transport and Communication Isack Kamwelwe said. The bodies of 37 others have not been identified, he told the broadcaster.

On Saturday rescuers found a survivor two days after the tragedy. The man was identified as an engineer of the ferry who had locked himself in the engine room.

Video footage showed the man, barefoot and head lolling, being carried quickly along a busy street by medical workers and military personnel as a siren wailed. His condition was not immediately known. No further survivors were likely to be found and search efforts had ended, defence minister Venance Mabeyo told reporters at the scene.

He said officials would continue working to identify the dead. However, the total number of deaths may never be known as no one is sure how many people were on the overcrowded ferry, which officials said had a capacity of 101. The boat tipped over as people returning from a busy market day with their goods prepared to disembark, while horrified fishermen and others watched. At least 40 people were rescued, officials said. President John Magufuli has ordered the arrests of those responsible.

He said the ferry captain already had been detained after leaving the steering to someone who was not properly trained, The Citizen newspaper reported. “This is a great disaster for our nation,” Mr Magufuli told the nation in a televised address, announcing four days of national mourning</s>Tanzanian authorities said on Sunday the number of people who died in a ferry that capsized in Lake Victoria had risen to 224 and the vessel’s managers had been detained for questioning.

The ferry, MV Nyerere, sank on Thursday evening just a few metres from the dock on Ukerewe, the lake’s biggest island.

Works, Transport and Communication Minister Isack Kamwelwe told state broadcaster TBC the death toll had risen to 224 as of Sunday afternoon.

The definitive cause of the capsizing is not yet known but officials have said preliminary investigation shows the ferry was carrying more people than legally permitted.

Boat accidents on Lake Victoria, which is shared by the East African countries of Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya, are common often caused by lax safety laws, weak enforcement and old and poorly maintained vessels.

Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa told TBC officials involved in managing the ferry had been detained.

“The government will form a special investigation commission of experts which will investigate the source of the accident and legal measures will be taken against all who were involved in causing the tragedy,” he said.

A search and rescue team has been attempting to flip the ship, which is belly up in the waters, back to its normal position so it can be towed to the dock. General Venance Mabeyo, the head of the military, said this could take two to three days.

For all the latest World News, download Indian Express App</s>UKARA: Tanzania declared the whole nation was in mourning Sunday as the first dozen bodies were buried from a devastating ferry capsize on Lake Victoria that left people 224 dead.

Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa led "national funerals" on the island of Ukara, where the MV Nyerere had been coming in to dock on Thursday.

He spoke of "great mourning by the whole nation" as the first coffins were placed in individual graves, many of the victims unidentified.

The remainder of the dead were to be lain to rest later or taken away by families wishing for privates funerals.

The prime minister said a memorial would be built on Ukara.

Hopes had faded of finding any more survivors three days after the disaster, even after rescuers pulled out an engineer on Saturday who had holed up in an air pocket in the upturned vessel.

But Majaliwa said divers would continue the grim search in the waters around the boat. The ferry would also be refloated.

He updated the death toll to 126 women, 71 men, 17 girls and 10 boys. Just 41 people survived.

Transport Minister Isack Kamwelwe said 265 people had been on board the ferry, which had an official capacity of 100 or 101 passengers.

The prime minister said initial investigations suggested overloading was one of the causes of the accident.

"We have already arrested all those people in charge of operating and supervising the MV Nyerere. Questioning has begun," he said.

A broader commission of inquiry into the disaster would also be set up, Majaliwa added.

One survivor was an engineer who shut himself into a "special room" with enough air for him to stay alive until he was found, said local lawmaker Joseph Mkundi.

Transport minister Kamwelwe said on Saturday that 172 of the bodies had been identified by relatives.

State television cited witnesses reporting that more than 200 people had boarded the ferry at Bugolora, a town on the larger Ukerewe Island. It was market day, which usually sees the vessel packed with people and goods.

Witnesses told AFP that the ferry sank when passengers rushed to one side to disembark as it approached the dock. Others blamed the captain, saying he had made a brusque manoeuvre.

Dozens of wooden coffins had lined the shore on Saturday, waiting to be seen by families as police and volunteers sought to keep hundreds of curious locals at bay.

Aisha William came to collect the body of her husband. "He left on Tuesday around noon, but he never came home. I do not know how I am going to raise my two children," she said.

Ahmed Caleb, a 27-year-old trader, railed at a tragedy "which could have been prevented. I've lost my boss, friends, people I went to school with," he sighed.

The ageing vessel, whose hull and propellers were all that remained visible above water, was also carrying cargo, including sacks of maize, bananas and cement, when it capsized.

Tanzanian President John Magufuli on Friday ordered the arrest of the ferry's management and declared four days of national mourning.

"It appears clear that the ferry was overloaded", he said, adding that the government would cover the funeral expenses.

With a surface area of 70,000 square kilometres (27,000 square miles), oval-shaped Lake Victoria is roughly the size of Ireland and is shared by Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya.

It is not uncommon for ferries to capsize on the lake, and the number of fatalities is often high due to a shortage of life jackets and the fact that many local people cannot swim.

In 1966, more than 800 people lost their lives on Lake Victoria when the MV Bukoba sank off the mainland town of Mwanza, according to the Red Cross.</s>UKARA: Tanzania declared the whole nation was in mourning on Sunday (Sep 23) as the first dozen bodies were buried from a devastating ferry capsize on Lake Victoria that left people 224 dead.

Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa led "national funerals" on the island of Ukara, where the MV Nyerere had been coming in to dock on Thursday.

He spoke of "great mourning by the whole nation" as the first coffins were placed in individual graves, many of the victims unidentified.

The remainder of the dead were to be buried later or taken away by families wishing for privates funerals.

The prime minister said a memorial would be built on Ukara.

Hopes had faded of finding any more survivors three days after the disaster, even after rescuers pulled out an engineer on Saturday who had holed up in an air pocket in the upturned vessel.

But Majaliwa said divers would continue the grim search in the waters around the boat. The ferry would also be refloated.

He updated the death toll to 126 women, 71 men, 17 girls and 10 boys. Just 41 people survived.

Transport Minister Isack Kamwelwe said 265 people had been on board the ferry, which had an official capacity of around a hundred passengers.

The prime minister said initial investigations suggested overloading was one of the causes of the accident.

"We have already arrested all those people in charge of operating and supervising the MV Nyerere. Questioning has begun," he said.

A broader commission of inquiry into the disaster would also be set up, Majaliwa added.

Witnesses told AFP that the ferry sank when passengers rushed to one side to disembark as it approached the dock. Others blamed the captain, saying he had made a brusque manoeuvre.

The Tanzanian presidency announced on Sunday evening that the inquiry had been "entrusted to the defence and security authorities".

Transport minister Kamwelwe said on Saturday that 172 of the bodies had been identified by relatives.

Dozens of wooden coffins had lined the shore on Saturday, waiting to be seen by families as police and volunteers sought to keep hundreds of curious locals at bay.

Aisha William came to collect the body of her husband. "He left on Tuesday around noon, but he never came home. I do not know how I am going to raise my two children," she said.

Ahmed Caleb, a 27-year-old trader, railed at a tragedy "which could have been prevented.

"I've lost my boss, friends, people I went to school with," he said.

The ageing vessel, whose hull and propellers were all that remained visible above water, was also carrying cargo, including sacks of maize, bananas and cement, when it capsized.

With a surface area of 70,000 square kilometres (27,000 square miles), oval-shaped Lake Victoria is roughly the size of Ireland and is shared by Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya.

It is not uncommon for ferries to capsize on the lake, and the number of fatalities is often high due to a shortage of life jackets and the fact that many local people cannot swim.

In 1966, more than 800 people lost their lives on Lake Victoria when the MV Bukoba sank off the mainland town of Mwanza, according to the Red Cross.</s>Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption 'The next thing I knew I was in the water'

A man has been rescued from a ferry that capsized on Lake Victoria, Tanzania, two days after it overturned with the loss of at least 207 lives.

The engineer, named locally as Alphonce Charahani, reportedly survived in an air pocket inside the MV Nyerere ferry, which capsized near Ukara island on its way from Bugorora on Thursday.

He is said to be in a serious condition.

It is thought the ship tipped when passengers moved over to one side.

Divers resumed the search for survivors on Saturday after hearing knocking noises.

The engineer had locked himself in a small room inside the ship, and the divers pulled him out of the vessel.

Image copyright AFP/Getty Image caption It is thought the number of passengers far exceeded the ship's official capacity

Bodies are still being taken out of the water, and reports on state broadcaster TBC cited the transport minister saying the death toll had risen to 207.

On Friday, Tanzania's President John Magufuli said he had ordered the arrest of all those who managed the ferry, and declared four days of national mourning.

Mr Magufuli reportedly said in a televised speech that "negligence has cost us so many lives", and said it seemed "clear that the ferry was overloaded".

"The arrests have already begun," he said.

But the main opposition party, Chadema, criticised the government's response.

"We have often raised concerns about the poor condition of this ferry, but the government turned a deaf ear," the party's deputy secretary general John Mnyika told AFP.

"We have repeatedly denounced this negligence."

How did this happen?

Local media say the ferry's official capacity was 100 people, but officials say the vessel was carrying more than twice that number when it capsized.

It operates on a busy route, crossing eight times a day between the islands of Ukara and Ukwerewe, which are close to Tanzania's second-largest city of Mwanza.

The ferry was said to have been particularly busy because it was market day in Bugorora, on Ukerewe island.

The vessel was also carrying cargo, including bags of cement and maize, when it capsized around 50 metres from the shore.

It is thought that many of the passengers would not have been able to swim.

An official investigation will take place once rescue efforts to find survivors have ended.

Has anything like this happened before?

Tanzania has seen a number of nautical disasters, with overcrowding often playing a role.

In 2012, at least 145 people died when a packed ferry sank while transporting people to the island of Zanzibar in the Indian Ocean.

The year before, almost 200 people died in another major incident off the coast of Zanzibar. Hundreds survived, some found clinging to mattresses and fridges.

In 1996, more than 800 people died when the MV Bukoba capsized on Lake Victoria. It was one of the the worst ferry disasters of the last century.</s>(Reuters) – Tanzanian authorities said on Sunday the number of people who died in a ferry that capsized in Lake Victoria had risen to 224 and the vessel’s managers had been detained for questioning.The ferry, MV Nyerere, sank on …Read more via Yahoo News – Latest News & Headlines – https://ift.tt/2NAU3uW Get More Nigeria Metro News
The death toll of the MV Nyerere sinking in Lake Victoria, Tanzania, rises to 224. Several are still missing.