136 dead in Tanzania ferry disaster, scores missing

DAR ES SALAAM, September 21

At least 136 bodies have been retrieved after a ferry sank on Lake Victoria, Tanzania's top police official Simon Sirro said on Friday, and scores more were still feared missing as rescuers searched for survivors on the morning after the disaster.

The ferry MV Nyerere capsized on Thursday afternoon just a few metres from the dock on Ukerewe, the lake's biggest island, which is part of Tanzania. Initial estimates suggested that the ferry was carrying more than 300 persons.

Thirty-seven persons had been rescued from the sea, Jonathan Shana, the regional police commander for the port of Mwanza said, adding thatmore rescuers had joined the operation when it resumed at daylight on Friday. He did not give exact numbers. — Reuters