Ferry accident kills more than 100 in Africa’s Lake Victoria

More than 100 people died when a passenger ferry capsized on Thursday afternoon in Tanzania’s Lake Victoria. Rescue workers said the death toll would rise as rescue efforts continued. Tanzania’s Electrical, Mechanical, and Electronics Services Agency said the ferry capsized near the area of Mwanza. Police commander Jonathan Shanna said there are no foreigners among the casualties. “Right now our focus is on rescue,” Mwanza regional commissioner John Mongella said, adding that workers picked up at least 37 survivors, though he could not say how many passengers boarded the ferry. Passenger ferries like the one that capsized are often overcrowded and in poor condition. In 1996, more than 800 people died when a passenger and cargo ferry sank in Lake Victoria. In 2011, another ferry sank near the island of Zanzibar, killing nearly 200 people.