20 Confirmed Dead, Others Missing As Boat Capsizes In Lake Victoria
Twenty(20) people have been confirmed dead after a boat they were traveling in capsized in Lake Victoria on Wednesday morning.
Kampala Metropolitan police spokesperson, Patrick Onyango confirmed the incident saying the boat was carrying 34 people when it capsized and was traveling from Lwanabatya landing site in Kalangala district heading to Kasenyi landing site in Entebbe when it failed to negotiate heavy winds on the lake in the night and capsized.
“The incident happened at 5 am. So far 20, people have been confirmed dead, and nine rescued. The boat was carrying bags of charcoal, fresh foods, and silverfish among others. The cause of the accident is attributed to overloading and bad weather,” Onyango said.
Onyango further noted that rescue efforts are still underway with teams from Police Marines, UPDF Fisheries Protection Unit, and the local community on the waters trying to locate the missing people.
“We appeal to members of the public who travel on waters to always wear life jackets and not to overload their vessels. We will keep you updated,” he added.
According to the 10 survivors, the boat was overloaded and the situation was worsened by the bad weather on the lake.
