UPDATE - Tanzania Ferry Accident Leaves 126 Dead - Reports

Umer Jamshaid Published September 21, 2018 | 07:18 PM

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 21st September, 2018) A total of 126 bodies have been recovered so far after MV Nyerere ferry capsized in Lake Victoria, local media reported Friday.

Eighty-two bodies were found earlier in the day after the rescue operation restarted, while 44 were discovered on Thursday, The Citizen outlet reported.

The rescue operation is ongoing.

The ferry capsized when it was about to dock, about 164 feet from the shore.

Ukerewe District Commissioner Cornel Maghembe reportedly told the outlet that the ferry had a capacity for only 100 passengers and 25 tonnes of cargo, but was instead carrying more than 400 people.

The Russian Embassy in Tanzania does not know if any Russians were injured in the incident.

"As of 3 p.m. local time [12:00 GMT], we had no information about any Russians on board of the ferry," Vasily Chitayev, the embassy's first secretary, told Sputnik.

According to Chitayev, the authorities are still looking into what happened, so new information might appear.