UKARA, Tanzania (Reuters) – Divers rescued a man on Saturday as they searched for survivors from the wreck of an overcrowded Tanzanian ferry that capsized on Lake Victoria on Thursday, killing at least 183 people.
Rescuers search to retrieve bodies from the water after a ferry overturned off the shores of Ukerewe Island on Lake Victoria, Tanzania September 21, 2018. REUTERS/Stringer
Four navy divers resumed the search operation inside the sunken MV Nyerere early on Saturday after hearing sounds that suggested signs of life.
They pulled a man out of the overturned ship and he was rushed to hospital, a Reuters witness said. His condition was not immediately known.
Bodies continued to float to the surface around the vessel, which initial estimates suggested was carrying more than 300 people, and state broadcaster TBC said the death toll had reached 183.
Works, Transport and Communication Minister Isack Kamwelwe said the government was sending sophisticated equipment to aid the rescue effort.
“This equipment will increase efficiency in the rescue operation and we will continue with the search until we are satisfied that we have rescued everyone,” he told Reuters.
Relatives of the deceased had started to identify the bodies of their loved ones, he said.
The ferry sank on Thursday evening just a few meters from the dock on Ukerewe, the lake’s biggest island.
On Friday President John Magufuli ordered the arrest of those responsible for the sinking.
Additional reporting by Nuzulack Dausen; Writing by Elias Biryabarema; Editing by John Stonestreet and Helen Popper