Five people drown in Z'bar ferry boat mishap

BY THE GUARDIAN REPORTER

6th January 2014

Yusuph Ilembo, Zanzibar Deputy Director of Criminal Investigation (DCI)

At least five people drowned while 18 others are missing after they fell off a ferry boat - Killimanjaro II – when it was hit by strong waves off Zanzibar’s Nungwi Bay yesterday morning.

Khalfani Mohammed Mshangi regional police commander of Zanzibar North said that a team of divers dispatched to the area was struggling to rescue people who fell into the turbulent waters when strong waves hit the ferry boat, sending it off-balance.

The RPC said there were 396 people on board the boat of who 60 were children. By the time we went to press three people had been rescued and five bodies recovered from the sea.
Zanzibar Deputy Director of Criminal Investigation (DCI) Yusuph Ilembo said the ferry boat was sailing from Pemba headed to Unguja, when it was hit by the strong waves, throwing it off-balance and causing its engines to cease.He said most of the passengers, including children who were on the top deck were thrown into the sea.

However the captain was able to restart the engines and steer the boat to Zanzibar, where it was expected to dock yesterday afternoon.

“We are currently verifying names of people who were on board to establish the exact number of those missing,” he said.

Zanzibar Marine Authority (ZMA) Director Abdi Omar Maalim said the authority had sent divers and some community members to the scene yesterday afternoon to beef rescue efforts.

Eye witnesses told The Guardian that the accident took place at 08:30 in the morning.

One of the passengers in the boat, Suleiman Muhammed Said, said some people and goods on the top deck slipped into water as the boat leaned on one side.

“I received a phone call from my child telling me while sobbing that the boat was sinking, the boat is sinking we are dying dad. After that the phone was out of reach,” said Abdallah Mohammed Abdallah at Malindi Port, where he was looking for information about his child.

Efforts to find more information from Azam Marine firm did not succeed as the manager refused to divulge any information and instead ordered journalists out.
Nungwi Bay is the same place where Mv Spice Islanders sank in September 2011 killing over 200 passengers. 

SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN