Tanzania Ferry Death Toll May Rise Sharply
For more news visit ☛ http://english.ntdtv.com<br />Follow us on Twitter ☛ http://twitter.com/NTDTelevision<br />Add us on Facebook ☛ http://facebook.com/NTDTelevision<br /><br />A senior Zanzibar official says the death toll from last week's ferry disaster could rise sharply. This follows news that more than one thousand passgeners were aboard the fated vessel.<br /><br />A senior Zanzibar official said on Monday that the death toll from Tanzania's ferry disaster could significantly rise.<br /><br />The announcement comes after it emerged there were more than 1,000 passengers aboard the vessel when it capsized last week,<br /><br />Initial reports suggested the MV Spice Islander was carrying 800 people, well above the ferry's 600 passenger capacity.<br /><br />[Seif Ali Iddi, Zanzibar's Second Vice-president]:<br />"We were told that the total number of people who were in the boat were a little bit over 1,000 so we are expecting some more bodies between now and maybe tomorrow or day after."<br /><br />More than 600 passengers were rescued from the ferry.<br /><br />The leader of Tanzania's main opposition CHADEMA party, Freeman Mbowe, urges the Zanzibar government to take decisive measures to improve marine transport safety.<br /><br />[Freeman Mbowe, Leader of Tanzania’s Main Opposition CHADEMA Party]: <br />"This national tragedy should serve as a timely wake up call to the government that such an accident, which can be avoided, should not happen in the future."<br /><br />Iddi says South African divers are expected on Monday to start searching the wreck of the ferry at the bottom of the Indian Ocean for more bodies.<br /><br />[Seif Ali Iddi, Zanzibar's Second Vice-president]:<br />"We don't expect any survivors unless maybe they managed to escape maybe to Tanga or to Mombasa, but our hope to get survivors is very small."<br /><br />Rescue workers say the divers would have to battle deep waters and strong Indian Ocean currents to get to the capsized vessel.<br /><br />[...]<br /><br />Village fishermen arrived at the accident scene in the early hours of Saturday morning to rescue passengers.
