At least 86 people drowned when a ferry sank on Thursday in Tanzania’s Lake Victoria.
According to national ferry services operator Temes, the ferry sank in the afternoon just a few metres from the dock near Ukara Island.
It is feared that more than 200 people may have drowned as the ferry was overcrowded. Local media say the ferry’s maximal capacity was 100 people, but officials say the vessel was carrying more than 400 passengers when it capsized.
However, exact figures, though, are yet to be confirmed as the person who dispensed tickets for the journey also died, with the machine recording the data lost.
The cause of the incident was not immediately clear, but overloading is frequently found to be the cause.
Tanzania has faced a number of ferry incidents, with overcrowding often playing a role. In 2012, at least 145 people died when a packed ferry sank while transporting people to the island of Zanzibar, which is a semi-autonomous region of Tanzania. The year before that, almost 200 people died in another ferry disaster off the coast of Zanzibar.
>Jelena Zukova
Tanzania Ferry Disaster: 'Overcrowded' Boat Sinks in Lake Victoria
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