MV Bukoba

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MV Bukoba is the name of a passenger steamer that sank 30 kilometers from Mwanza, Tanzania on May 21, 1996, killing nearly one thousand people. The boat had been used to transport passengers and cargo between Lake Victoria ports Bukoba and Mwanza.

The steamer's capacity was 430, but around 800 people drowned as the boat sank to the bottom of Lake Victoria. The manifest showed 443 passengers in the first and second class cabins, but the cheaper third class compartment had no manifest.

The lack of equipment and divers were partially to blame for the tragedy. Rescue teams from South Africa were flown in to salvage the ship and retrieve bodies that sank 25 meters under water.

President Benjamin Mkapa declared 3 days of national mourning after the tragedy.

[edit] See also

• Lake Victoria ferries