23 dead in Uganda lake boat capsizing

Authorities in Uganda report that 23 people were killed while at least two others have gone missing after a boat capsized in the Ugandan portion of Lake Victoria on Wednesday, August 2.

The unnamed vessel was transporting passengers, fish, and charcoal from Bukasa Island to the city of Entebbe when it capsized at approximately 05:00 local time on Wednesday.

Search and rescue (SAR) personnel from the Uganda Police Force, the Uganda People’s Defence Forces, and nearby communities were initially able to pull nine survivors and the bodies of 20 deceased victims out of the surrounding waters within hours of the capsizing.

Another three deceased individuals were found as the SAR effort entered its second day on Thursday, August 3. All three have been identified as occupants on the ill-fated boat.

The Uganda Police Force said that at least 34 people were on the boat at the time of the incident, which has been attributed to overloading and bad weather.

SAR teams are continuing to comb the waters at the incident site in an attempt to locate the boat’s missing occupants.