Three fishermen drown after boat capsizes in Lake Victoria in Tanzania

Three fishermen have drowned and three others were rescued by fellow fishermen after their boat capsized in Lake Victoria in Tanzania’s northwestern region of Geita, an official said on Tuesday.

Wabura Fidel, Geita district officer with the Tanzania Fire and Rescue Force, said the boat capsized at 6 p.m. local time on Sunday after water filled in the leaky boat just a few minutes after it had started its fishing mission. Bodies of the deceased fishermen were recovered on Sunday.

Dickson Alphonce, one of the rescued fishermen, said after the boat started to capsize, three of them jumped out of it and started swimming to safety. “No sooner did we start swimming than we were spotted by our fellow fishermen who rushed to rescue us using their boat.”

Geita district commissioner, Cornel Magembe, sent a message of condolence to the bereaved families and urged fishermen to ensure that their boats were equipped with life jackets. Enditem