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DAR ES SALAAM (Reuters) – Tanzanian authorities announced on Sunday that the number of people who died in a ferry that capsized in Lake Victoria rose to 224 and that the ship's officials had been arrested.
The ferry, MV Nyerere, sank Thursday night just meters from the Ukerewe pier, the largest island on the lake.
The Minister of Works, Transport and Communications, Isack Kamwelwe, told the public television channel TBC that the record had risen to 224 Sunday afternoon.
The final cause of the capsize is not yet known, but authorities have stated that a preliminary investigation shows that the ferry was carrying more people than is legally permitted.
Boat accidents on Lake Victoria, which are shared by East African countries (Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya), are often caused by lax safety laws, weak enforcement and old, poorly maintained vessels. .
Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa said that TBC officials involved in the management of the ferry had been arrested.
"The government will form a special commission of inquiry composed of experts who will investigate the source of the accident and legal action will be taken against all those involved in the tragedy," he added.
A search and rescue team attempted to return the vessel, which is lying face down in the water, to return to its normal position so that it could be towed to the wharf. General Venance Mabeyo, the chief of the army, said that it could take two to three days.
