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Twenty-two people died and more than sixty people reportedly drowned after the sinking of a pleasure boat on Lake Victoriain in Uganda.
The ship carrying nearly a hundred party-goers sank Saturday in bad weather during the latest fatal incident that hit passenger boats on the largest lake in Africa.
"Twenty-two bodies were found and 26 people rescued," AFP spokesman Asuman Mugenyi told AFP on Sunday. "According to one of the survivors, there were more than 90 people on board."
The boat, on which the party animals drank, danced and listened to music, was flowing near the shore of Mutima, in the Mukono district, near the capital Kampala.
Mugenyi said the overload and bad weather were probably responsible.
"We are waiting [the number of passengers] is beyond the capacity of the boat. He was overworked and, unfortunately, people were drunk, "said Mugenyi. "We believe that the mechanical condition of the boat and the weather conditions contributed to the sinking."
"A big storm hit," said local government official Richard Kikongo. "It may be good on dry land but in bad weather on the lake."
Kikongo said the first responders were among the victims. "The fishermen of two small boats could see that the boat was sinking and went to help," he said. "People tried to jump on the boats but they were too numerous and they sank. The rescuers are dead too.
Local residents said the boat was rented for parties every weekend and was often overloaded with party goers.
The Mutima Country Haven complex was converted into a triage center and morgue on Sunday morning, during which the police recovered the swollen bodies of the victims.
Police spokesman Emilian Kayima said the relief efforts were continuing.
Lake Victoria is the site of many water disasters. In September, hundreds of people died when the MV Nyerere ferry sank on the Tanzanian side of Lake Victoria, also shared by Kenya.
It is not uncommon for ferries to capsize on the lake and the number of casualties is often high due to the lack of lifejackets and the fact that many residents do not know how to swim. In 1966, more than 800 people lost their lives on Lake Victoria when the MV Bukoba sank off the city of Mwanza on the mainland, according to the Red Cross.
