At Least 187 People Have Died After An Overloaded Ferry Sank In Zanzibar

187 people have died after an overloaded ferry sank off the Tanzanian island of Zanzibar with at least 800 people on board.

A government spokesman said 620 survivors had been rescued so far and three days of mourning have been declared by the government.

Survivors were slow to get to because the overloaded boat had sank at night.

The ship had been bringing people back from holiday after Ramadan, and had reportedly stopped earlier in Tanzania’s commercial capital, Dar es Salaam.

The local government is struggling to cope and have asked for foreign help.

The Zanzibar government has set up a rescue centre and called upon all reserves to join the rescue effort. It has also called for support from other countries, such as South Africa and Kenya.

According to Zanzibar police commissioner Mussar Hamis “The survivors were ferried by privately owned fast ferries and brought back to the main harbour in the historic Stone Town.”

One survivor, Abdullah Saied, said the ferry had been heavily overloaded when it left Dar es Salaam, and some passengers there had refused to board, the Associated Press news agency reports.

Photo Credit: @swalz07

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