UKARA ISLAND, Tanzania (AP) – Relatives wept in grief on Sunday at the mass burial in Tanzania of many of the 224 people who drowned when a ferry in capsized on Lake Victoria.
Colorfully painted coffins were lined up to go into graves on Ukara Island. Grieving family members places wreaths of flowers on the coffins.
The overloaded boat tipped over Thursday as it approached the dock and people returning from a busy market day with their goods prepared to disembark. Horrified fishermen and others watched from the shore.
Coffins of some of the victims of the MV Nyerere passenger ferry capsizing are laid into graves during a mass burial ceremony on Ukara Island, Tanzania, Sunday, Sept. 23, 2018. Burials started Sunday of the more than 200 people who died when the ferry capsized on Lake Victoria, while the country’s Defense Minister said no further survivors were likely to be found and search efforts had ended. (AP Photo/Andrew Kasuku)
One survivor said he is still searching for his daughter.
“My child might have been found, but I have not seen her,” said Magesa Chibuga, in Swahili. “I am therefore waiting for this ferry to be lifted from the water so that I can see whether she is there or not. But I am feeling very bad. I thank God I have found my wife, but the child is still missing. So God has every plan.”
Chibuga described how he survived when the boat capsized.
“I heard people shouting ‘Accident, accident!’ I was seated with my bag. I put it on my chest, removed my phone and put it in my bag, and then jumped. After I jumped, I found a lifesaver, grabbed it and that’s how I escaped.”
Identifications have been made for 172 people who died in the boat tragedy, Tanzania’s Minister of Works, Transport and Communication Isack Kamwelwe said. The bodies of 37 others have not yet been identified, he told the broadcaster. At least 40 people were rescued, officials said.
Tanzania’s Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa led mourners at the funeral service.
“Our country has been hit by a big tragedy. We lost brothers, relatives and friends. Our call is for us to be united during this hard time and understand that our countrymen have been left by beloved parents, brothers, sisters, children and friends in this big tragedy,” he said. “So we need to console them instead of feeding them with bad words. Let’s leave the government and relevant authorities to do their work.”
Adla Bakari said she lost her son and neighbors.
“We are coming for the burial,” said Bakari. “This ferry has killed our people. If we tell them not to overload the ferry, they don’t listen to us, just like last Thursday. We urge the government to take care of us. Otherwise we will be finished like that.”
On Saturday rescuers found a survivor two days after the tragedy. The man was identified as an engineer of the ferry who had locked himself in the engine room. Video footage showed the man, barefoot and head lolling, being carried quickly along a busy street by medical workers and military personnel as a siren wailed. His condition was not immediately known.
No further survivors were likely to be found and search efforts had ended, Defense Minister Venance Mabeyo told reporters at the scene. He said officials would continue working to identify the dead. However, the total number of deaths may never be known as no one is sure how many people were on the overcrowded ferry, which officials said had a capacity of 101.
President John Magufuli has ordered the arrests of those responsible. He said the ferry captain already had been detained after leaving the steering to someone who wasn’t properly trained, The Citizen newspaper reported.
“This is a great disaster for our nation,” Magufuli told the nation in a televised address, announcing four days of national mourning.
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AP writer Tom Odula contributed from Nairobi, Kenya.
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A grieving relative cries during a mass burial ceremony for the victims of the MV Nyerere passenger ferry capsizing on Ukara Island, Tanzania Sunday, Sept. 23, 2018. Burials started Sunday of the more than 200 people who died when the ferry capsized on Lake Victoria, while the country’s Defense Minister said no further survivors were likely to be found and search efforts had ended. (AP Photo/Andrew Kasuku)
A police officer stands guard by coffins during a mass burial ceremony for the victims of the MV Nyerere passenger ferry capsizing on Ukara Island, Tanzania Sunday, Sept. 23, 2018. Burials started Sunday of the more than 200 people who died when the ferry capsized on Lake Victoria, while the country’s Defense Minister said no further survivors were likely to be found and search efforts had ended. (AP Photo/Andrew Kasuku)
Relatives carry coffins to be used for the victims of the MV Nyerere passenger ferry on Ukara Island, Tanzania Saturday, Sept. 22, 2018. The death toll soared past 200 on Saturday while officials said a survivor was found inside the capsized ferry and search efforts were ending to focus on identifying bodies, two days after the Lake Victoria disaster. (AP Photo/Andrew Kasuku)
Women mourn beside the body of a relative, a victim of the MV Nyerere passenger ferry, as they await transportation for burial on Ukara Island, Tanzania Saturday, Sept. 22, 2018. The death toll soared past 200 on Saturday while officials said a survivor was found inside the capsized ferry and search efforts were ending to focus on identifying bodies, two days after the Lake Victoria disaster. (AP Photo/Andrew Kasuku)
Rescue divers stand on top of the capsized MV Nyerere passenger ferry on Ukara Island, Tanzania Saturday, Sept. 22, 2018. The death toll soared past 200 on Saturday while officials said a survivor was found inside the capsized ferry and search efforts were ending to focus on identifying bodies, two days after the Lake Victoria disaster. (AP Photo/Andrew Kasuku)
A rescue diver, right, searches in the water for bodies of the victims of the capsized MV Nyerere passenger ferry on Ukara Island, Tanzania Saturday, Sept. 22, 2018. The death toll soared past 200 on Saturday while officials said a survivor was found inside the capsized ferry and search efforts were ending to focus on identifying bodies, two days after the Lake Victoria disaster. (AP Photo/Andrew Kasuku)
Relatives carry coffins to be used for the victims of the MV Nyerere passenger ferry on Ukara Island, Tanzania Saturday, Sept. 22, 2018. The death toll soared past 200 on Saturday while officials said a survivor was found inside the capsized ferry and search efforts were ending to focus on identifying bodies, two days after the Lake Victoria disaster. (AP Photo/Andrew Kasuku)
Rescue divers work alongside the capsized MV Nyerere passenger ferry on Ukara Island, Tanzania Saturday, Sept. 22, 2018. The death toll soared past 200 on Saturday while officials said a survivor was found inside the capsized ferry and search efforts were ending to focus on identifying bodies, two days after the Lake Victoria disaster. (AP Photo)
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