At least 20 people have died after a boat capsized on Lake
Victoria in Uganda on Wednesday.
The Uganda Police Force said nine people had been rescued
and emergency workers were searching for more survivors.
The cargo boat was carrying charcoal, fresh food and fish
when the accident occurred in the early hours of Wednesday morning during bad
weather. Police believe there were 34 people on board.
"The cause of [the] accident is attributed to
overloading and bad weather," police said. "We appeal to members of
the public who travel on waters to always wear life jackets and not to overload
their vessels."
Boat tragedies on Lake Victoria
Lake Victoria is Africa's largest lake. It borders Uganda,
Kenya and Tanzania.
Hundreds of people die in boat accidents on Ugandan lakes
every year.
Boating accidents are usually blamed on overcrowding and
poor weather, and the number of fatalities is often high due to a shortage of
life jackets and the fact that few people know how to swim.
Boats tend to be the only form of transportation in parts of
Africa's Great Lakes region, and they are often overcrowded and poorly
maintained.
zc/msh (AFP, dpa)
0 comments:
Post a Comment