Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday commiserated with President John Magufuli and the people of Tanzania over the tragic ferry disaster in the south of Lake Victoria, which has so far claimed 131 lives.
President Buhari assured his Tanzanian counterpart and the people of the country of the sympathy of all Nigerians as they mourn those who died on the MV Nyerere, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, said in a statement.
According to the Nigerian leader, the prayers and thoughts of all Nigerians are with the families and friends of the bereaved even as rescue efforts by emergency services continue.
The President prayed that God will comfort all those who lost relatives and friends in the accident and grant eternal rest to the departed souls.
The MV Nyerere may have been carrying as many as 200 passengers – double the ferry’s capacity – when it capsized close to the pier on Ukara Island on Thursday, according to reports on state media.
Witnesses told AFP the ferry sank when passengers rushed to one side to disembark as it approached the dock.
On Friday, the Tanzanian President ordered the arrest of the management of the ferry.
In a speech broadcast on TBC One public television, Magufuli said, “It appears clear that the ferry was overloaded,” adding that “negligence has cost us so many lives… children, mothers, students, old people”.
“I ordered the arrest of all those involved in the management of the ferry. The arrests have already begun,” he added.
The president declared four days of national mourning while saying at least 131 people had died, updating an earlier death toll of 126.
Magufuli also announced the government would cover the funeral expenses of the victims.
Mwanza governor John Mongella had earlier said the number of survivors was 40, but it was unclear whether any new survivors had been found since rescue operations resumed with police and army divers on Friday morning.
“Operations are continuing,” he said, but hopes are fading that more survivors might still be found.
State television cited witnesses reporting that more than 200 people had boarded the ferry at Bugolora, a town on the larger Ukerewe Island, where it was a market day when locals said the vessel was usually packed with people and goods.
“I have not heard from either my father or my younger brother who were on the ferry. They had gone to the market in Bugolora to buy a school uniform and other supplies for the new school term,” said Domina Maua, who was among those seeking information about loved ones.
Davita Ngenda, an elderly woman in Ukara, had already received bad news.
“My son is among the bodies recovered,” she said, weeping. “He had gone with his wife but she has not been found yet. My God, what did I do to deserve this?”
Sebastian John, a teacher, said such tragedies had become part of life for those living on the lake.
“Since my birth, people have gone to their deaths on this lake, but what are we to do? We did not choose to be born here, we have nowhere to go,” he said
