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By AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE, Mutima, Uganda, November 27 – Before Alex Niyonzima is plunged into the waters of the lake, before other party-goers fall on him, leading him to the bottom of the surface, before drowning hands grab his body, there was a moment of calm.
Niyonzima was hung from a welded deck table as the boat stopped half way to its turtle roll on Saturday night in Lake Victoria, Uganda.
"I was holding the table but the floor was where the wall was," he said.
All around him, people were screaming, "standing on chairs, railings, one against the other." Then the boat faltered again. "I was at the bottom when the boat turned around, so everyone fell on me," said the tall 44-year-old man.
Beneath the waves, Niyonzima thought that he would die.
"Someone caught my neck, I pushed them away. Another person grabbed my shoulder and I pushed them. I could feel with his hands that he was a man, "he said. "A girl caught my lifejacket and tore it."
"I panicked because people were going to strangle me there."
Niyonzima sank to the surface and swam for about 200 meters to the shore. "When I felt the sand beneath my feet, I realized that I had saved my life," he said. "I was lucky."
– "Party atmosphere" –
At least 32 of his fellow pbadengers died that evening, but with only 27 survivors and about 100 people on board, the toll should be pbaded when rescuers recover the ship.
According to Niyonzima, most of the victims were wealthy Ugandan youth who attended an annual raging feast every year by Freeman Kiyimba.
At dusk, the DJ shook the music as the drinks streamed and the party animals danced.
"It was a party atmosphere," Niyonzima said. "Many free drinks: whiskeys, Baileys, Amarula and all you can think of."
There were, however, signs of the danger ahead.
A large number of party-goers ignored the police officer's warning to wear the lifejacket: people wanted to flaunt their clothes and not cover them with unflattering buoyancy aids.
Then, when the boat left the shore – the MV K-Palm, a bright blue reconverted fishing boat with a distinctive shark tooth sticker on the bow – the engine creaked.
It was a "red flag," Niyonzima said in hindsight.
"I have been on this boat several times for parties, so I did not think it was a big problem. I knew that once the boat was moving, our cruise would run as usual, "he said.
A short distance from the coast, the engines broke down for the first time, but few pbadengers paid much attention to dance, conversation, laughter and drink.
The DJ called to listen to the music, warning people not to spill the heavily loaded boat.
Restarted, the boat crossed a wide bay at the northern end of Africa's largest lake. Then he stuck again.
Meanwhile, leisurely revelers have posted exuberant videos on social media.
Singer Irene Namubiru and Prince David Wasajja, brother of the King of Buganda, Uganda's most important traditional kingdom, were among the featured photos. Both survived.
– "We are on the Titanic" –
As the sun set, the boat shivered for the third time.
It was then that Niyonzima noticed the water. "At the back, the boat let water run and they did not have a pump. So they used a half cut jerrycan (to bail out) that was useless against the lake water, "he said.
As the boat tilted, the DJ seemed to understand the danger. He urgently called people to move to help keep the boat steady.
The owner of the vessel, Templar Bisbade, who unusually had pbaded the boat near the engine rather than playing the machine as he usually did, also shouted at the people to help him keep the boat level.
His supplications fell into drunk ears. "Because they drank a lot, people did not listen," Niyonzima said.
Beside him, a group of women joked that "they were on the Titanic" when a portion of the hull suddenly rose out of the lake's waters.
Drinks slid off tables, pbadengers lost their feet, stacked speakers fell into the lake, and Niyonzima, terrified, was caught on a table as the boat rolled further.
"We stayed like this for about 20 seconds." Then, he said, "the boat has tipped over completely."
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