Mohammadi News Agency News – Features – Photo
MNA International Desk: Tanzanian authorities said the death toll in the ferry that capsized in Lake Victoria on Thursday rose to 209 as more bodies were expected to be pulled off one of Africa’s great lakes.
On Friday, Tanzanian President Magufuli announced a four-day mourning period for the victims of the ferry accident.
According to sources, the ferry, with a capacity of 101 passengers and 25 tonnes of cargo, capsized at around 1 pm local time Thursday.
Tanzanian President Magufuli also ordered the arrest of safety inspectors from the country’s transport regulator, the Surface and Marine Transport Regulatory Authority.
Preliminary investigations showed that the state-owned ferry was overloaded and was being manned by someone who was not the authorized captain of the vessel.
The last major ferry accident on Lake Victoria occurred in 1996 in the same region, killing at least 500 people.
