The MV Nyerere ferry sank on Thursday afternoon near Ukara Island, local officials said.
The ferry, which is reported to have a capacity of 100 passengers, was travelling between Bugorara and the Ukala islands, close to Mwanza, Tanzania’s second largest city.
The vessel is understood to have capsized when it was close to docking.
The Tanzania Electrical, Mechanical and Electronics Services Agency (TEMESA) confirmed the incident in a statement and said rescue efforts were underway.
However they were unable to confirm passenger numbers.
20 people were rescued by fishermen immediately after the accident.
The ferry has a capacity of 100 people, a witness says that it was overloaded at the time of the incident. It is not clear how many people were on the ferry at the time the incident occurred.
We pray to God to give us hope in such an accident, Regional Commissioner Adam Malima said.
We pray to God to give us hope that there has not been a high death toll.
Ukerewe District Commissioner Colonel Lucas Magembe said 42 people had already been confirmed dead and that the rescue mission had been halted until dawn on Friday.
The cause of the incident is not yet clear, but accidents are not uncommon on Lake Victoria with overloading and overcrowding frequently found to be the cause.
TEMESA Spokeswoman Theresia Mwami said that the ferry did not have any mechanical problems because TEMESA had carried out heavy maintenance on it in recent months including overhauling two engines.
Accidents are common on Africa’s largest lake, Victoria, where boats often depart overcrowded.
In 2012, at least 145 people died in a ferry disaster in the semi-autonomous archipelago of Zanzibar in the Indian Ocean, on a vessel that was overcrowded.
More than 800 people died in 1996 when the MV Bukoba capsized. It was one of the worst maritime disasters of the last century.
Tourism Observer
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