Five bodies have been recovered from Lake Victoria after a boat they were traveling on capsized and they drowned.
This incident happened on Monday, September 30, 2024, in Lujabwa village, Mazingga sub-county in Kalangala district, when the boat coming from Lujabwa heading to Lambu in Masaka capsized and people aboard it drowned and went missing.
The deceased three have been identified as Robert, Kassim Mukisove, Kato, son of Martin Segawa, a mobile money agent, and Kayiwa; all were residents of Lujibwa village, while the two were not known to locals.
According to the fishermen in Lujibwa, it is likely that the boat capsized due to the strong winds and overloading.
During an interview with journalists on September 30, 2024, one of the survivors, identified as Sam Kiyimba, said that the people who were aboard the boat were mostly traders taking their fish for sale in Lambu; however, the boat was too packed yet the winds on the lake were too strong, hence why it capsized.
Kiyimba added that at some point when they were heading to Lambu, some people went off the boat and stopped at some small island because the boat was heavily loaded and this scared them.
’’The boat capsized and lives have been lost because the winds were too strong yet the boat was overloaded with a lot of people and lots of smoked and fresh fish,’’ Kiyimba disclosed.
Read Also: A Boat Capsizes near Zinga Island, Claims Three Lives
The Kalangala Deputy RDC, Henry Lubulwa, confirmed the incident and revealed that police and the locals were still looking for the missing people and hopefully any survivors.
Lubulwa further emphasized that the locals and fishermen have been warned to follow the set rules against traveling late at night, especially during the rainy season; however, they have refused to heed the warnings.
’’The locals and some fishermen are working together with police to look for the missing people and retrieve dead bodies when they are found; however, our locals should stop overloading and traveling late in the night so as to avoid such tragedies from happening again,’’ he noted.
Most boat accidents in Uganda are mainly caused by overloading and strong winds. For example, in March 2024, a boat that had 17 people was traveling from Bussi Island in Wakiso district heading to Nakiwogo landing site when it capsized and six people died.
