44 die as Tanzanian ferry capsizes in Lake Victoria
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the cause of the accident was not immediately clear but overloading is frequently to blame for such incidents2 a statement from tanzanias electrical mechanical and services agency said it was unknown how many passengers were aboard the mv nyerere1 it is feared that a significant number have lost their lives said george nyamaha the head of ukerewe district council of which the island is a part1 regional governor john mongella said late thursday the toll had reached 44 while 37 others had been rescued though some of the survivors were in a very bad condition1 he added that rescue operations had been suspended and would continue on friday morning1 there were more than a hundred passengers on board the vessel when it sank thursday afternoon near ukara island in the southeast of the vast lake which also extends into uganda and kenya a local official said1 the ferry was also carrying cargo including sacks of maize and cement when it overturned close to the dock1 at least 44 people died and scores were missing after a tanzanian ferry mv nyerere capsized in victoria africas largest lake with a desperate search for survivors set to resume in tanzania on friday1 president john magufulis spokesman gerson msigwa also said on state television tbc 1 that the death toll stood at more than 401 with a surface area of 70000 square kilometres 27000 square miles oval-shaped lake victoria is roughly the size of ireland1 capsizes are not uncommon in the massive lake and the number of fatalities is often high due to a shortage of life jackets and the fact that many people in the region cannot swim1