Tanzania Ferry Sinking Leaves 240 People Dead; 607 Rescued
September 10, 2011, 12:46 PM EDTBy David Malingha Doya
(Updates with latest death toll in first paragraph.)
Sept. 10 (Bloomberg) -- At least 240 people died when a ferry sank off the Tanzanian island of Zanzibar, a police official said. An additional 607 people who were on the vessel have been rescued.
The boat sank at about midnight while en route to Pemba Island from Zanzibar, Police Commissioner Musa Ali Musa said in a phone interview from Zanzibar City, the capital of the Indian Ocean island nation. The vessel may have sunk because it was overloaded, the Nairobi office of Ecoterra International, a maritime environmental advocacy group, said in a statement.
“We are concentrating on seeking survivors and perhaps tomorrow we can begin investigating the cause of the accident,” Musa said. “We have not got any information about foreigners. All survivors and the dead are local people from Tanzania.”
Zanzibar, an archipelago that includes the main islands of Unguja and Pemba and at least 51 other islets, is situated about 30 kilometers (19 miles) off the coast of Tanzania. The semi- autonomous Indian Ocean island nation is in a political union with Tanzania. In May 2009, a passenger ferry carrying 50 people capsized after taking water on board as it was traveling from Zanzibar’s port at Stone Town to Pemba. At least 20 people died in the accident.
Tanzania President Jakaya Kikwete cancelled a planned visit to Canada next week, where he was scheduled to hold talks with Prime Minister Stephen Harper, and declared three days of national mourning.
Cargo Carrier
The vessel involved in last night’s accident was used to bring cargo from Dar es Salaam, Tanzania’s commercial capital, to Unguja before ferrying people to Pemba Island, Musa said.
While Tanzania and Kenya have Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centres, their ability to deal with maritime disasters is hampered by a lack of proper equipment and technology, Ecoterra said in an e-mailed response to questions. Last month, Kenya’s navy upgraded its capabilities with the return of two refurbished naval vessels, it said.
“The response mechanisms along the East African coast for such disasters like vessels in distress and oil spills are still under-developed,” Ecoterra said. “In terms of development aid and international assistance, this is a sector where donor governments of the international community could help countries like Kenya and Tanzania improve the situation.”
Tanzania’s worst maritime disaster occurred in 1996 when the MV Bukoba sank on Lake Victoria. While the passenger list showed 443 people were on board the vessel, at least 800 people may have died, according to the www.wrecksite.eu website.
--Editors: Paul Richardson, Alex Devine.
To contact the reporter on this story: David Malingha Doya in Dar es Salaam via Nairobi at pmrichardson@bloomberg.net.
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Paul Richardson at pmrichardson@bloomberg.net.
