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Accidents

Over 20 feared dead after river boat capsizes in western Uganda

Gareth Havelock

At least 23 people are feared to have died after a boat carrying passengers capsized in Kagadi district in western Uganda on Tuesday, April 28.

The unnamed vessel was transiting the Nguse River with between 35 and 40 people on board when the incident occurred near Pacwa town council at around 20:00 local time on Tuesday.

Only eight survivors have so far been reported. Local officials have assured that search and rescue operations will continue until the boat's missing occupants are all found.

The survivors have since been brought to various health centres to undergo treatment.

Local police have deployed dive teams to the area to attempt to locate any victims whose bodies may have settled on the bottom of the river.

Due to the boat lacking a passenger manifest, authorities are unable to determine the exact number of people who were on board at the time of the incident.

An initial investigation has indicated that the capsizing may have occurred due to the boat being overloaded.

Baird Maritime tracks global passenger vessel accidents in its comprehensive database, which can be accessed here.