At least 126 people have died when an overcrowded ferry capsized in Lake Victoria, Tanzania, the country's transport and communications minister said Friday.

Rescue teams pulled 82 bodies out of the water on Friday, adding to the 44 retrieved the previous day, when the capsizing took place. </s> KAMPALA, Uganda -- A Tanzanian passenger ferry capsized on Lake Victoria and the death toll of 44 was expected to rise when rescue efforts resume Friday, an official said. Thirty-seven people were rescued after the sinking Thursday afternoon, Mwanza regional commissioner John Mongella told The Associated Press.

"I cannot speculate" how many people had been on board, he said. "Right now our focus is on rescue."

Such ferries often carry hundreds of people and are overcrowded.

The Tanzania Electrical, Mechanical and Electronics Services Agency, in charge of servicing the vessels, urged patience in a statement as rescue efforts began.

The ferry was traveling between Ukara and Bugolora and capsized near the area of Mwanza, the agency said.

Accidents are often reported on the large freshwater lake surrounded by Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda.

Some of the deadliest have occurred in Tanzania, where passenger boats are often said to be old and in poor condition.

In 1996, more than 800 people were killed when the passenger and cargo ferry MV Bukoba sank on Lake Victoria.

Nearly 200 people died in 2011 when the MV Spice Islander I sank off Tanzania's Indian Ocean coast near Zanzibar. </s> At least 44 people died when after a passenger ferry capsized on Lake Victoria, a Tanzanian official said late Thursday, and the death toll was expected to rise when rescue efforts resumed at daybreak. Thirty-seven people were rescued after the sinking Thursday afternoon, Mwanza regional commissioner John Mongella told The Associated Press. “I cannot speculate” how many people had been on board, he said. “Right now our focus is on rescue.” Such ferries often carry hundreds of people and are overcrowded.

The Tanzania Electrical, Mechanical and Electronics Services Agency, in charge of servicing the vessels, urged patience in a statement as rescue efforts began. The ferry was traveling between Ukara and Bugolora and capsized near the area of Mwanza, the agency said. Accidents are often reported on the large freshwater lake surrounded by Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda. Some of the deadliest have occurred in Tanzania, where passenger boats are often said to be old and in poor condition. In 1996, more than 800 people were killed when the passenger and cargo ferry MV Bukoba sank on Lake Victoria. Nearly 200 people died in 2011 when the MV Spice Islander I sank off Tanzania’s Indian Ocean coast near Zanzibar. </s> The death toll has risen above 100 after a ferry capsized and sank on Lake Victoria, Tanzania state radio reported.

The toll is likely to rise further as search and rescue operations continue after Thursday afternoon’s disaster, John Mongella, commissioner for the Mwanza region, said on Friday.

At least 37 people were rescued from the sunken ferry as of Thursday evening, when rescue teams called off their mission overnight.

It is not clear how many people were on board.

Such ferries often carry hundreds of people and are overcrowded.

No foreigners have been found among the dead, Mwanza police commander Jonathan Shanna said on Friday.

The passenger ferry MV Nyerere was travelling between Ukara and Bugolora when it sank, according to the government agency in charge of servicing the vessels.

Accidents are often reported on the large freshwater lake surrounded by Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda.

Some of the deadliest have occurred in Tanzania, where passenger boats are often said to be old and in poor condition.

In 1996, more than 800 people were killed when the passenger and cargo ferry MV Bukoba sank on Lake Victoria.

Nearly 200 people died in 2011 when the MV Spice Islander I sank off Tanzania’s Indian Ocean coast near Zanzibar. </s> The number of people confirmed dead after an overcrowded ferry capsized on Lake Victoria has increased to 131, Tanzania's transport and communications minister said Friday.

The death toll could rise further, Isack Kamwelwe said from the scene of Thursday's tragedy. </s> KAMPALA, Uganda — The death toll rose above 100 on Friday after a ferry capsized and sank on Lake Victoria, Tanzania state radio reported.

Retuers reported the disaster happened just a few yards from the dock on Ukerewe, the lake's biggest island.

The toll is likely to rise further as search and rescue operations continue after Thursday afternoon's disaster, John Mongella, commissioner for the Mwanza region, told the Associated Press.

At least 37 people were rescued from the sunken ferry as of Thursday night, when rescue teams called off their mission overnight.

It is not clear how many people were on board. Such ferries often carry hundreds of people and are overcrowded.

The passenger ferry MV Nyerere was traveling between Ukara and Bugolora when it sank, according to the government agency in charge of servicing the vessels.

No foreigners have been found among the dead, Mwanza police commander Jonathan Shanna said Friday.

Tanzania has been hit by several major ferry disasters.

At least 500 people were killed when a ferry capsized in Lake Victoria in 1996.

In 2012, 145 people died when a ferry sank off the shore of Tanzania's Indian Ocean archipelago of Zanzibar. </s> A survivor has been found inside a capsized Tanzanian ferry two days after the disaster on Lake Victoria, an official said Saturday, while coffins arrived for at least 167 victims and counting.

An engineer was found near the engine of the upturned vessel, Mwanza regional commissioner John Mongella told reporters.

The survivor’s condition was not immediately clear.

Search efforts continued around the ferry’s exposed underside as families of victims prepared to claim the dead.

No one knows how many people were on board the ferry, which had a capacity of 101. Officials on Friday said at least 40 people had been rescued.

The government’s chief secretary John Kijazi announced the rising death toll to reporters after President John Magufuli ordered the arrests of those responsible.

“This is a great disaster for our nation,” Magufuli said, announcing four days of national mourning.

The badly overloaded ferry capsized in the final stretch before shore on Thursday afternoon as people returning from a busy market day shifted and prepared to disembark.

Horrified fishermen and other witnesses have expressed fear that more than 200 could have died. </s> KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — The death toll rose above 100 on Friday after a ferry capsized and sank on Lake Victoria, Tanzania state radio reported.

The toll is likely to rise further as search and rescue operations continue after Thursday afternoon’s disaster, John Mongella, commissioner for the Mwanza region, told The Associated Press.

At least 37 people were rescued from the sunken ferry as of Thursday evening, when rescue teams called off their mission overnight.

It is not clear how many people were on board. Such ferries often carry hundreds of people and are overcrowded.

No foreigners have been found among the dead, Mwanza police commander Jonathan Shanna said Friday.

The passenger ferry MV Nyerere was traveling between Ukara and Bugolora when it sank, according to the government agency in charge of servicing the vessels.

Accidents are often reported on the large freshwater lake surrounded by Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda.

Some of the deadliest have occurred in Tanzania, where passenger boats are often said to be old and in poor condition.

In 1996, more than 800 people were killed when the passenger and cargo ferry MV Bukoba sank on Lake Victoria.

Nearly 200 people died in 2011 when the MV Spice Islander I sank off Tanzania’s Indian Ocean coast near Zanzibar. </s> DAR ES SALAAM - Dozens more bodies were recovered on Friday, the morning after a Tanzanian ferry disaster, nearly doubling the death toll to 86, with hundreds more feared missing as rescuers resumed searching for survivors at first light.

The higher death toll was given to the Citizen newspaper by John Mongella, regional commissioner for the port of Mwanza on the coast of Lake Victoria, where the MV Nyerere sank on Thursday afternoon.

Initial estimates suggested that the ferry was carrying more than 300 people when it went down on Thursday afternoon, just a few metres from the dock on Ukerewe, the lake’s biggest island, which is part of Tanzania.

Thirty-seven people had been rescued from the sea, Jonathan Shana, the regional police commander for Mwanza, told Reuters by phone on Friday.

Shana said more rescuers had joined the operation when it resumed at daylight on Friday. He did not give exact numbers.

The precise number of those aboard the ferry when it capsized was hard to establish, since crew and equipment had been lost, officials said on Thursday.

Tanzania has been hit by several major ferry disasters over the years. At least 500 people were killed when a ferry capsized in Lake Victoria in 1996. In 2012, 145 people died when a ferry sank off the shore of Tanzania’s Indian Ocean archipelago of Zanzibar.
At least 136 people are dead and more than 100 others are missing after a ferry capsizes in Lake Victoria, Tanzania.