44 dead in Tanzania ferry accident

At least 44 people were killed after a passenger ferry carrying hundreds of people capsized on Lake Victoria in Tanzania on Thursday.

The ferry overturned between the two islands in Lake Victoria, which is the largest lake in Africa, passing through Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda, CNN reported.

According to local media, the exact number of those on board was not known as the boat was believed to be carrying people beyond the stipulated capacity. The ferry was thought to be carrying between 400 to 500 people.

Emergency response teams pulled 37 people out of the water during rescue operations, which was stopped due to poor visibility.

Regional Commissioner John Mongella told local Tanzania television channel ITV that the rescue operations would resume in the morning.

Boat accidents are common in the eastern African country, where ferries are often overcrowded and unsafe. In 2011, around 200 people died after an overloaded vessel was hit by gusty winds off Zanzibar island in the Indian Ocean.