Police has confirmed the deaths of 20 people so far after a boat capsized on Lake Victoria on Wednesday, August 2, 2023.
According to SSP Patrick Onyango, the Kampala Metropolitan spokesperson, the incident happened at 5 a.m. and allegedly had 34 people on board, of whom nine were rescued.
“The number of people on board is allegedly to be 34. The incident happened at 5 a.m. So far 20, people have been confirmed dead, and nine (9) rescued. The boat was carrying bags of charcoal, fresh foods, and silver fish, among others,” said Onyango.
Onyango said that the cause of the accident is attributed to overloading and bad weather.
However, according to Onyango, rescue efforts are underway with teams from the Police Marines, UPDF Fisheries Protection Unit, and local community on the waters trying to locate the missing people.
Police would urge members of the public who travel on waters to always wear life jackets and not overload their vessels.