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Sinking of MV Nyerere

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Sinking of the MV Nyerere
Sinking of MV Nyerere is located in Tanzania
Sinking of MV Nyerere
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Site of sinking on a map of Tanzania
Date20 September 2018 (2018-09-20)
LocationLake Victoria near Ukara Island, Tanzania
Coordinates01°52′38″S 33°01′17″E / 1.87722°S 33.02139°E / -1.87722; 33.02139
CauseCapsizing
OutcomeComplete loss of vessel, hundreds of casualties
Deaths227[1]

MV Nyerere was a Tanzanian Lake Victoria ferry that capsized on 20 September 2018 while travelling between the islands of Ukerewe and Ukara.[2][3]

Officials believe that the ferry may have been carrying more than 400 passengers at the time of the capsizing, approximately four times the reported maximum capacity of the vessel.[4][2] The precise number of passengers is unknown as the passenger recording equipment was lost during the incident.[5][3] The Tanzanian government have declared that at least 227 people died as a result of the capsizing, but a death toll in excess of 300 is feared, given that many passengers remain unaccounted for.[6]

Vessel

The ship's owners and operators, Tanzanian Electrical, Mechanical and Services Agency (TEMESA), reported that the ferry had a capacity of 100 passengers, 25 tonnes of cargo and three cars and made her maiden journey in 2004.[7] The organization also denied that Nyerere had mechanical problems as it had undergone heavy maintenance in the past months, including work on its two engines.[8]

Incident

The ferry was running its route from Bugolora to Ukara on 20 September 2018 with allegedly more than 400 passengers aboard, in addition to a cargo of maize, bananas, and cement.[2][9] It went down in the afternoon, 50 metres from the dock of its intended destination in the Ukerewe District.[3][10]

Two survivors of the wreck, Ochori Burana and Ruben Mpande, said the man steering the vessel, who had been speaking on a mobile telephone, made a sharp turn after realising he was preparing to dock on the wrong side of the ship. Mr Burana told state broadcaster TBC1, "People were telling him to stop his telephone conversation and focus on the wheel. As we approached the Ukara dock we saw that he was going on the left of the dock while the disembarking area is in the right side. He suddenly he made a sharp turn." Mr Mpande added, "After the sharp turn the vessel ducked to one side throwing out people and cargo and when it pivoted to the other it went down with everyone else in it. I jumped on the water and swam to the shores."[10] President John Magufuli made an address in which he said that the man piloting the vessel was untrained and the real captain was not on board the ship.[10] However, an eyewitness on shore told France24 reporter Emmanuel Makundi that "as the ferry was approaching the shore, many people tried to reach the gate and that led a car that was onboard the ferry to tipple over. That led the ferry to list on one side, causing the accident."[11] Another survivor, Jennifer Idhoze, "said the ferry had capsized because it was overloaded."[12]

Passengers

Tanzanian officials are unsure of the precise number of passengers who were onboard the vessel at the time of the capsizing as the official responsible for dispensing the tickets drowned, and the machine that recorded the number of passengers was lost in the wreckage.[9][5] Conflicting initial estimates indicated the ferry was carrying considerably more than 300 people on board,[11] with some reports purporting a figure over 400.[2] The police and government confirmed that 37 people had been rescued in the aftermath and that rescue operations were suspended until the next day.[13] The next day, in the course of a press conference regarding the incident, the President of Tanzania John Magufuli announced a death toll of 131, with some forty individuals having been brought ashore to safety.[14]

As part of rescue operations, police and army divers have been sent to the wreckage to search for the scores of people still missing.[15] Engineer Augustine Charahani was found alive in an air pocket in the engine room more than 40 hours after the accident, after rescuers heard sounds.[10][12] On 23 September 2018, three days after the capsizing, Magufuli further revised the death toll upwards to 224, and reaffirmed his earlier wish for the arrest of the management, whilst simultaneously confirming the arrest of the vessel's captain.[6]

Reactions

Magufuli expressed his sadness and declared four days of national mourning in the aftermath of the capsizing.[16] He subsequently ordered the arrest of the ferry's management, accusing them of gross negligence for having overloaded the vessel beyond its stated capacity of 101.[17][5] Opposition politician John Mnyika accused the government of having failed to enhance ferry safety standards, and for the lackadaisical speed at which the "inadequate" rescue operation was conducted.[18][19]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Tanzania ferry sinking death toll continues to rise". 25 September 2018.
  2. ^ a b c d "Dozens drown in Lake Victoria capsizing". BBC News. 20 September 2018. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
  3. ^ a b c "Over 200 feared dead as ferry capsizes in Tanzania". RTÉ. 20 September 2018. Retrieved 21 September 2018.
  4. ^ "At least 136 bodies recovered after ferry capsizes in Tanzania". The Irish Times. 20 September 2018.
  5. ^ a b c Burke, Jason (21 September 2018). "Tanzania's president orders arrests as ferry death toll climbs". The Guardian.
  6. ^ a b "Tanzania buries ferry disaster dead as toll hits 224". Times Live. 23 September 2018.
  7. ^ "MV Nyerere" (in Swahili). 15 July 2018. Retrieved 25 September 2018.
  8. ^ AfricaNews. "Update: Magufuli mourns as death toll from Tanzania ferry accident reaches 42 | Africanews". Africanews. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
  9. ^ a b Staff and agencies (20 September 2018). "More than 200 feared drowned in Tanzania ferry disaster". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
  10. ^ a b c d "Tanzania ferry accident: Survivors recount what happened minutes before disaster". Daily Nation. 22 September 2018.
  11. ^ a b "Ferry capsizes on Tanzania's Lake Victoria, killing dozens". France 24. 20 September 2018. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
  12. ^ a b "Survivor pulled from capsized Tanzanian ferry as death toll reaches 218". Channel News Asia. 21 September 2018.
  13. ^ "Tanzania ferry capsize: Dozens killed as rescue effort suspended". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 21 September 2018.
  14. ^ "Lake Victoria Tanzania ferry disaster: Divers hunt for survivors". BBC. 21 September 2018.
  15. ^ "Death toll reaches 136 in Tanzania ferry disaster with scores missing". Reuters. 21 September 2018.
  16. ^ "Magufuli orders arrest of MV Nyerere operator". Daily Nation. Retrieved 21 September 2018.
  17. ^ Kolumbia, Louis (21 September 2018). "Magufuli: The person steering MV Nyerere ferry was un-trained". The Citizen. Retrieved 21 September 2018.
  18. ^ Burke, Jason (21 September 2018). "Tanzania ferry disaster: 136 bodies pulled from Lake Victoria". the Guardian. Retrieved 21 September 2018.
  19. ^ Buguzi, Syriacus (21 September 2018). "Plea of lawmaker who predicted MV Nyerere tragedy". The Citizen. Retrieved 21 September 2018.
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