Three Ugandans have been killed a Lake Victoria boat accident. The boat capsized near Bugoto Landing site in Mayuge district’s Bukaboli sub county. The deceased hailed from Bugoto landing site.
The deceased included one woman man and two children. The woman has been identified as Zalika Naiwumbe, while the children were Farouk Kapadu and Badiru Kapadu.
The children belonged to the owner of ill-fated boat identified as Majidu Kapadu Mukuwe
At least eight people are said to have been on a return journey from Buyengo landing site, where they were working in the fields when the boat they were travelling in capsized.
While Kapadu Mukuwe insisted that his boat was in a good condition and that it was large enough to accommodate the passengers on board, some reports claimed that it was overloaded when the it capsized. Apart from passengers, the boat was reportedly overloaded with potatoes.
When the winds hit, the boat sank, causing three people to drown.
Reports also suggest that some passengers had sensed danger and appealed to the boat operator to steer the boat toward papyrus reeds. However, it is said that the boat operator did not take the advice of the passengers.
According to Busoga East regional police spokesperson Michael Kasadha, there were four survivors of the boat accident so far.
Makerere University’s School of Public Health estimates that over 3,000 people drown every year in Uganda, and consider drowning a public health concern and call for measures to reduce the cases.
A boat accident on Lake Victoria once claimed as many as over 20 lives, as reported Here and There.
Relatedly, three family members perished in an accident in Entebbe, as reported Here.
