Frantic search is underway for survivors after boat capsizes off east Africa carrying more than 500 passengers
At least 107 people drowned when a ferry capsized in rough waters off east Africa as it sailed from Zanzibar to Pemba island, a doctor told Reuters on Saturday, the worst disaster in the archipelago's recent history.
Witnesses fear the death toll could rise sharply since the overcrowded ferry was carrying more than 500 passengers.
Fishing boats and tour operators are scouring the sea for scores of people who are still missing after the disaster, which happened overnight.
"Many of us got here about 2.30 this morning," Suleiman Amis, 32, who works on a local diving tour boat, told Reuters.
"We sent out some boats to search for the survivors, but we did not find them until very, very late. We have friends who we know were on that boat and we want to go back out to find them as soon as possible," Amis said.
Zanzibar and Pemba are the two main islands of the Zanzibar archipelago, a popular destination for tourists visiting their pristine Indian Ocean beaches.
"The ship's manifest shows that the vessel travelling from Unguja to Pemba islands had more than 500 passengers on board," said Zanzibar police commissioner Mussa Alli Mussa.
"Some 260 passengers have so far been rescued … we have recovered several bodies but I can't give you the exact death toll at the moment because the situation is very volatile," he added.
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