Five bodies retrieved after boat capsized in Lake Albert
Ugandan survivors rescued by Uganda's local government sit in a rescue boat on Lake Albert near Kitebere village, western Uganda, on November 4, 2019 after a wooden boat capsized. PHOTO | STRINGER | AFP
What you need to know:
- Five bodies have been retrieved from Lake Albert, shared by Uganda and DRC, a day after a boat capsized.
- The boat which carried a total of 18 passengers was flagged off Kitebere Landing Site at 11pm local time on Sunday.
- The Kagadi Resident District Commissioner said 11 people were rescued by local fishermen and police officers.
Kampala
Five bodies have been retrieved from Lake Albert, shared by Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a day after a boat capsized.
Romeo Ojara, District Police Commander for Kagadi in western Uganda, told Xinhua by telephone on Tuesday that five bodies had been recovered.
"One body was recovered last evening (Monday) while four more were recovered early this morning (Tuesday). We have not yet been able to identify the bodies," Ojara said.
He added that the marine divers were still in the lake trying to retrieve other bodies.
"There is no clear figure of the people who were on the boat when it set off from the landing site. We anticipate the number of the dead to go up. However, we shall count the bodies as they are brought out of water," Ojara said.
BOAT TRAGEDY
Seven people, according to Lillian Ruteraho, the Kagadi Resident District Commissioner, were feared dead after the boat they were travelling in capsized on Lake Albert on Sunday night.
Ruteraho told Xinhua by phone on Monday that the boat which carried a total of 18 passengers was flagged off Kitebere Landing Site at 11pm local time on Sunday. The boat was heading to the DRC side.
She said 11 people were rescued by local fishermen and police officers.
In May, 16 people died after a boat capsized on the same lake. The deceased were footballers and fans.
