44 killed in Tanzania ferry capsize

At least 44 people were killed after a passenger ferry carrying hundreds of people capsized in Tanzania's Lake Victoria, officials said on Thursday.

The accident occurred while the ferry was travelling between two islands in the lake, Africa's largest freshwater lake, which is shared by Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya.

The exact number of passengers on board remained unclear as rescue officials struggled to determine how many people were travelling on the vessel. Media reports suggested the ferry may have been carrying between 400 and 500 people and was overloaded at the time of the accident.

Emergency teams launched a rescue operation soon after the ferry overturned. By Thursday night, 37 people had reportedly been pulled alive from the water. However, the operation was suspended because darkness and poor visibility made further rescue efforts difficult.

Regional Commissioner John Mongella told Tanzanian television channel ITV that rescue teams would resume the search on Friday morning, raising hopes that more survivors could be located.

The accident has once again highlighted longstanding concerns over maritime safety in Tanzania, where ferry disasters have frequently been linked to overcrowding, overloading and inadequate safety measures.

Lake Victoria is a major transport route for communities living around its shores, and passenger ferries are widely used to travel between islands and mainland areas. However, accidents on the lake can quickly become major disasters because of the large number of passengers carried by some vessels and the challenges involved in rescue operations.

Tanzania has experienced several serious maritime accidents in the past. In 2011, around 200 people were killed after an overloaded vessel encountered strong winds near the island of Zanzibar in the Indian Ocean. The vessel had a stated capacity of 620 passengers but was reportedly carrying more than 1,000 people.

The latest tragedy has renewed concerns about compliance with passenger limits and safety regulations on Tanzania's waterways. Authorities are expected to continue the search and establish the exact circumstances that caused the ferry to capsize.