Boat tragedy: bodies disappear at L. Victoria

At least 40 pbadengers who were aboard the unfortunate Ugandan boat sank Sunday in Lake Victoria are missing.

Up to now, only 59 of the more than 100 pbadengers onboard when the vessel was named MV Templar sank near Mutima Beach in Mukono District.

The police spokesman for the rescue and recovery operation Zurah Ganyana said Monday that efforts to find more bodies had failed.

"Divers did not find any bodies in the boat. We try to rotate the sunken boat to make sure no human body gets stuck in the bottom, "she said.

At least 32 bodies were found, 26 people were saved and an unknown number is still not found.

The boat was sailing from KK Beach to the Ggaba site in Kampala to K-Palm Beach in Mukono District.

Neither the police nor the boat managers of KK Beach have a manifesto that can reveal the identity of all the pbadengers who were on board the unfortunate boat.

Mr. Sula Kasujja, a private diver who rummaged around the sunken boat on Monday, said he saw a white rag under the boat on the bottom of the lake.

The police tied a rope to the sunken boat, which had tilted to one side and started pulling it to allow the divers to see if there are any bodies below.

They canceled the operation after failing to turn it on Monday night.

First responders to the accident Sunday night said the number of people rescued was higher than the official figure released by the police.

They said that many people who had been rescued after being landed had to avoid being identified for various reasons.

One of the first responders stated that the rescued people, especially the women, had left the scene as soon as they arrived on the shore.

Mr. Abdullah Nsubuga, a fisherman, said that two coasters, a taxi and dozens of boda boda transported the rescued people to different destinations.

"I saw two mountains and a taxi taking the people we had saved. Others have used boda boda cycles, "said Nsubuga Monday.

Survivor stories, including Mr. Arnold Jjuuko Ssimbwa, confirm Mr. Nsubuga's story that some of the rescued people used utility vehicles to disappear.

"We boarded the taxi at eight and headed for Mukono. Halfway through the trip, the driver started charging Chilean 50,000 shillings … but we negotiated later for 20,000 shillings. He dropped us off somewhere in Nakifuma and we took another taxi to Kampala, "said Jjuuko's statement issued by Reuben Luyombo.

East Kampala Regional Police Commander Michael Musani, who arrived at the scene Sunday night, said many rescued people did not want their identity registered by the police.

Godfrey Musisi and Sylvia Namukasa were reported missing, but it was not confirmed when they were aboard the ship.