By Our Reporter
A ferry carrying yet unknown number of passengers has capsized in Lake Victoria on Saturday with scores feared dead along!
The boat popularly known as Water Bus is said to have been plying the Mageta Island-Usenge Beach route in Siaya County, Kenya when the incident occurred.
Sources at the scene disclosed that the boat could have been hit by strong winds and high tides partly attributed to rising water levels of Lake Victoria, when asked for possible cause of accident.
By the time we went to press, a rescue mission was already underway, though coordinated by local administration and beach management units.
Water levels on the lake have been on the rise over the last four months and has left hundreds homeless after it seized their homesteads.
This has been attributed to high rainfall levels in Western Kenya as well as climatic change.
Similarly, on Friday, Uganda issued an alert over Lake Victoria’s water levels that have surged to their highest levels in more than half a century after about eight months of relentless downpours.
Uganda’s Water and Environment Minister, Sam Cheptoris, further warned that the situation could pose a threat to Uganda’s hydropower plants, and indeed a few weeks ago a floating Island found its way into the power turbines on river Nile causing national blackout before scientists pulled it out.
In November 25 2018, at least 29 people died in Uganda after a cruise boat carrying party revellers capsized on Lake Victoria. Among the survivors was Buganda Kingdom prince Wasajja and Music vocalist star Iryn Namubiru among others.
The vessel was said to have been carrying close to 100 people when it sank on Saturday near Uganda’s capital, Kampala.
