Tanzania ferry toll reaches 225
Dodoma, Sep 23: The death toll in the Tanzania ferry capsize increased to 225 on Sunday with the recovery of seven more bodies, according to authorities.
Regional commissioner, John Mongella, said the seven bodies were discovered on the fourth day of search operations, reports Efe news.
So far, there have been 41 survivors , including an engineer who was found on Saturday in an air pocket in the upturned vessel.
According to Mongella, relatives and acquaintances have identified a total of 171 bodies, while the unidentified victims will be buried.
MV Nyerere sunk in Lake Victoria between the islands of Ukerewe and Ukara on Thursday with around 400 passengers onboard - four times the legal capacity.
President John Magufuli has declared three days of national mourning and ordered the arrest of the vessel's crew and managers from the state company that operates the ferry service for questioning.
The preliminary investigation indicates that the ferry capsized because "it was overloaded", Cabinet Chief John Kijazi said on Friday.
The vessel capsized just 50 metres from the shore.
Victoria, Africa's largest lake, is shared by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.
The Tanzanian portion of the lake was the scene in 1996 of one of the worst shipwrecks of the 20th century, the ferry MV Bukoba sank, leaving an estimated 615 people dead.
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Air India Express introduces late-night Bengaluru–Mangaluru service
International services at M’luru cancelled on March 7
Mangaluru: Air India Express will introduce a late-night daily flight service on the Bengaluru–Mangaluru–Bengaluru sector starting March 10, 2026.
According to the sources, flight IX 5971 will depart from Bengaluru at 9.25 pm and arrive in Mangaluru at 10.40 pm. The return flight, IX 5972, will depart from Mangaluru at 11.10 pm and reach Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru, at 12.20 am.
The additional service will operate daily and will remain in effect until March 28, 2026.
Meanwhile, Air India Express has cancelled all its scheduled international flights from Mangaluru International Airport (IXE) on March 7 due to the ongoing crisis in the Middle East.
The Bengaluru–Mangaluru sector already has multiple daily services. Apart from Air India Express, IndiGo also operates flights on this route.
