Uganda Lake Albert boat accident leaves many dead

A “strong wind” caused the vessel to go under water, a local official told AFP news agency.

Dozens of people were on board and at least 21 people were rescued, Ashraf Oromo said.

A marine officer said poor safety and fast-changing weather meant accidents were common on the lake.

The boat was travelling between two locations on the Ugandan side on Wednesday when strong winds blew up and it capsized.

Rescuers did not expect to find any more survivors, Mr Oromo said. However, local media quoted the chief of the locality who suggested that the search was ongoing

Both Congolese and Ugandan nationals were on the boat and were among the victims, Mr Tchovidong said.

“Because of failure to adhere to safety measures and fast-changing weather patterns, Lake Albert has many accidents,” regional police marine officer Samuel Onyango told AFP.

One official said that many of the victims were trying to return illegally to the Democratic Republic Congo (DRC) to avoid the coronavirus restrictions that have stopped most traffic between the DRC and Uganda, according to the Associated Press news agency.