At least 20 people have died after a boat capsized in Ugandan waters on Lake Victoria.
The overloaded boat was believed to have had 34 people on board when the accident happened on Wednesday, the police said.
Nine people were rescued, they said.
The boat had also been “carrying bags of charcoal, fresh foods, silver fish among others” according to a police statement posted on social media.
They attributed the cause of the accident to overloading and bad weather.
“We appeal to members of the public who travel on waters to always wear life jackets and not to overload [sic] their vessels,” the police statement added.
Boat accidents are not uncommon in Uganda.
In 2020, at least 26 people died on Lake Albert on the border of Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Two years earlier, dozens of people died after a boat carrying about 100 party revellers capsized in Lake Victoria near the capital Kampala.
Meanwhile, Lake Victoria Basin Commission (LVBC) Executive Secretary DMasinde Bwire has sent a message of condolence to the bereaved families of the boat tragedy in Lake Victoria.
Fourteen people, among them primary school pupils, died after their boats capsized in Bunda District, Mara Region, in Tanzania.
Fourteen other passengers were, however, rescued alive following frantic efforts by different rescue teams in the area.
The Executive Secretary said the commission condoles with the people and the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania following the tragic accident.
“Our thoughts and prayers go out to the bereaved family members in this time of deep sorrow, and we wish quick recovery to those who sustained injuries in the accident. We further wish to thank the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania for the swift and dedicated action it took after the accident, which saved many lives that would have otherwise been lost,” he said.
LVBC, which is an East Africa Community (EAC) agency mandated to coordinate sustainable development and management of the Lake Victoria basin, is committed to continuing to contribute towards making Lake Victoria Search and Rescue (SAR) services effective and timely through pragmatics.
He said currently, the Commission headquartered in Kisumu is coordinating the Multinational Lake Victoria Maritime Communications and Transport (MLVMCT) project aimed at improving safety and security in the Lake, including SAR services in the event of marine accidents occurring in the waters of Lake Victoria.
Upon completion in December 2024, the MLVMCT project, he added, will provide Lake Victoria with Maritime Rescue Coordination Centres (MRCCs), supported by SAR centres spread along the shoreline and equipped with fast rescue and medical ambulance boats.
He further requested that MLVMCT project’s implementing Partner states, of Republic of Uganda, Republic of Kenya, and United Republic of Tanzania, continue supporting LVBC in the coordination of the project at the regional level.
LVBC, the EAC secretariat and partner states, he said, were keen on bolstering SAR services on Lake Victoria to reduce accidents and avert loss of life.
The agencies, he added, will push for effective implementation of the Lake Victoria Transport Act 2007, among other interventions to keep the lake safe.
Additional reporting by KNA
