At least 207 dead in Lake Victoria ferry disaster
Tanzanian President John Magufuli has ordered the arrest of the management of ill-fated ferry as scores more are still feared missing as rescuers continue to search for survivors the day after the disaster.
Tanzanian President John Magufuli ordered the arrest of the management of a ferry that capsized in Lake Victoria, as rescue workers press on with the search to find scores more people feared drowned. (September 21, 2018)
Divers rescued a man on Saturday as they searched for survivors from the wreck of an overcrowded Tanzanian ferry that capsized on Lake Victoria on Thursday, killing at least 207 people.
Four navy divers resumed the search operation inside the sunken MV Nyerere early on Saturday after hearing sounds that suggested signs of life.
They pulled a man out of the overturned ship and he was rushed to hospital, a witness said.
His condition was not immediately known.
Tulanana Bohela has the latest.
Bodies continued to float to the surface around the vessel, which initial estimates suggested was carrying more than 300 people, and state broadcaster TBC had earlier said the death toll had reached 183.
Works, Transport and Communication Minister Isack Kamwelwe said the government was sending sophisticated equipment to aid the rescue effort.
"This equipment will increase efficiency in the rescue operation and we will continue with the search until we are satisfied that we have rescued everyone," Kamwelwe said.
Relatives of the deceased had started to identify the bodies of their loved ones, he said.
The ferry sank on Thursday evening just a few metres from the dock on Ukerewe, the lake's biggest island.
On Friday President John Magufuli ordered the arrest of those responsible for the sinking.
TRT World's Philip Owira has more.
Ferry overhauled engines recently
It was hard to establish the precise number of passengers on board since the person dispensing tickets had also drowned with the machine recording the data lost.
Tanzania Electrical, Mechanical and Electronics Services Agency (TEMESA) spokeswoman Theresia Mwami said the operator had carried out maintenance on the ferry in recent months, overhauling two engines.
Journalist Daniel Kijo has the latest on the ferry accident from Tanzania's Dar es Salaam.
Overloading frequently blamed
The cause of the accident was not immediately clear, but overloading is frequently found to blame.
Six years ago, 144 people died or disappeared when an overloaded ferry sank off the semi-autonomous Tanzanian island of Zanzibar.
In 1996, a ferry disaster on Lake Victoria in the same region killed at least 500 people.
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