Ferry Sinks Off Tanzania Coast, At Least 200 Dead

Authorities have recovered nearly 200 bodies from the wreckage of the M.V. Spice Islander, a Tanzanian ferry sailing from the mainland port of Dar es Salaam to Pemba Island, north of Zanzibar.

Witnesses onboard say the vessel began listing from side to side, then water rushed in stalling the engines, causing the ferry to flip upside down. More than 600 people were rescued and the bodies of 197 people have been recovered since the sinking late Friday night. Officials say the ferry was clearly overloaded, the boats capacity at 600 people. Some reports suggest that the ferry was carrying 800 people while Zanzibar’s second vice president, Seif Ali Iddi told Reuters the ship was carrying “more than 1,000 people.”
Survivors clung to pieces of wreckage for hours before the currents washed them to the shores of Zanzibar. Thousands fled to the beaches to greet the survivors in hopes of finding their loved ones.

Officials are still uncertain how many people were onboard the ferry or how many may have been killed in the tragic accident. Divers were working Monday morning to search the wreck which is now sitting on the floor of the Indian Ocean, 400 meters below the surface. Divers will have to dismantle the ship to get inside where it is expected they will recover more bodies.

Many of the survivors and witnesses have expressed anger that the vessel had been overloaded. Local leaders in Tanzania urged government authorities to improve inspections of vessels and regulate marine transportation to prevent another tragedy like this.

Zanxibar’s government announced an official three-day mourning period from Sunday.

US NAVY Photo: USS Stout tows Tanzanian flagged, Spice Island, in International waters off the coast of Somalia (2007).