Survivor found 2 days after Tanzania ferry capsize, toll hits 170
Dar Es Salaam, Sep 22: Rescuers working to retrieve bodies from a ferry that sank in Lake Victoria in Tanzania found a survivor on Saturday, two days after the tragedy took place, although the death toll rose to 170.
According to Tanzanian news outlet The Citizen, a man was found alive in an air pocket in the upturned vessel on the same day when another 24 bodies were recovered from the scene of the accident.
MV Nyerere sunk between the islands of Ukerewe and Ukara on Thursday with around 400 passengers onboard -- nearly four times the legal capacity. So far rescuers have confirmed only around 40 survivors.
President John Magufuli declared three days of national mourning and ordered the vessel's crew and managers from the state company that operates the ferry service arrested for questioning, Efe news reported.
Preliminary investigations showed that the state-owned ferry was overloaded and was being manned by someone who was not the authorized captain of the vessel. The vessel capsized just 50 meters (164 feet) 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 sinking of the ferry MV Bukoba, which left an estimated 615 people dead.
There has been public outrage over the decision made by regional authorities of Mwanza Region, whose north borders Lake Victoria, to call off the search and rescue operation after dark on Thursday.
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Jaishankar meets European, UK, Egyptian counterparts at UAE summit
Dubai (PTI): External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has met with his counterparts from Europe, the UK and Egypt on the sidelines of a high-level international summit in the United Arab Emirates, where leaders and policymakers gathered to discuss key geopolitical and security challenges.
In a social media post on Saturday, Jaishankar said "it was great to be" with Luxembourg's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Xavier Bettel, Poland’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, and Latvia’s Foreign Minister Baiba Braze.
The minister was in the UAE capital Abu Dhabi to attend the three-day Sir Bani Yas Forum 2025, which concluded on Sunday.
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Jaishankar also met UK Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy on the sidelines of the summit.
"Good to see UK DPM @DavidLammy on the sidelines of Sir Bani Yas Forum 2025," he said in another social media post.
In another meeting, the External Affairs Minister said it was “nice to catch up” with Egypt’s Foreign Minister Dr Badr Abdelatty.
Sir Bani Yas Forum is an annual platform that brings together global leaders, ministers and experts to deliberate on regional and international issues.
