Tanzania ferry capsizes

This item appears on page 16 of the November 2018 issue.

At least 228 people were killed, with many more still missing at press time, after a passenger ferry capsized on Lake Victoria in northern Tanzania on Sept. 20. One crew member, an engineer, was rescued from an air pocket within the ship more than a day later; he had locked himself in a small room.

The ferry, the M/V Nyerere, had traveled from the city of Bugorora and was approaching the island of Ukara to dock when it capsized. It is believed that the ferry had been overloaded with passengers and that they all moved to one side as the boat began to dock, causing it to tip. The ferry had a capacity of only 100 passengers but at the time of the incident was carrying more than 400.