Boat accident: 5 female bodies recovered, 15 missing

A combined force of the Police and Army marine has so far retrieved five bodies after a giant wooden boat capsized on Lake Victoria early morning Wednesday.

All the five recovered bodies are of female adults who authorities identified as Edith Najjuma, Proscovia Namulondo, Winnie Nankya, Zamu Longose and Gladys Nabiseera.

"Five bodies have been conveyed to Kasenyi landing site and they have already been identified by relatives and taken for burial," Deo Sentiba, the spokesperson of the Fisheries Protection Unit (FPU) told Monitoron Saturday afternoon.

Sentiba also clarified that of the 30 passengers who were on board, 10 survived- implying that 15 people are still missing.

Police say the ill-fated boat was packed with bags of charcoal, fresh foods, silverfish and was moving from landing sites in Kyamuswa County in Kalangala District   to Kasenyi landing site on mainland Entebbe in Wakiso District.

The boat was blown many nautical miles off course in a severe windstorm before it capsized near Nsazi Island in Mukono District.

Sentiba said a team of divers is still on the lake to recover all the bodies.

Lwanabatya landing site fisherman Lawrence Ssekanjako expressed concern over what he called a delay in recovering all bodies noting that “usually, when people drown in deep waters of the lake it takes 3-4 days to recover their remains.”

“I’m surprised that only 5 out of 20 bodies have far been recovered. This is the time all bodies would be floating on water or pushed towards the shores. I suggest that the Army involves local fishermen in Nsazi to help in the search,” he added.  

Unlike on ferries and other large water vessels where passengers’ particulars are captured before boarding, traditional private wooden boat operators keep no records-which has complicated efforts to identify all the victims and survivors, authorities said.  

Some of the deceased so far identified:

•Grace Nakato,18

•Winnie Nankya,29

•Nicholas Mukuutwa

•Proscovia Namulondo,45

•Edith Najjuma

•Zamu Longose

•Glades Nabiseera

• Francis Kalegeya  

•Melida Wasemba

•Moses Ssimbwa ,25

•Derrick Okumu,20

Some of the survivors:

·       Michael Odong

·       Godfrey Ndugwa

·       Pastor Joseph Lule

·       Lawrence Kiiza

·       Julious Ssiida (skipper)

·       Mama Kambuggu