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2010-04-07 16:33:01 - Vehicle Accident - Zambia EDIS CODE: VI-20100407-25607-ZMB
Date & Time: 2010-04-07 16:33:01 [UTC]
Area: Zambia, Northern Province, Lake Tanganyika, Mpulungu District, Number of death person(s): 7
Damage level: Moderate (Level 2)
Not confirmed information! Description: Seven people have died, while 33 others survived after the boat they were in capsized on Lake Tanganyika in Mpulungu District. Northern Province Permanent Secretary Mwalimu Simfukwe and Mpulungu District Commissioner Willie Simfukwe confirmed the death of the seven in separate interviews from Kasama and Mpulungu, respectively. Mr Simfukwe said the accident happened yesterday in the afternoon as the vessel met strong waves on the way from Kapembwa area. He said there were 40 people on board, but 33 had been rescued while the seven died as they failed to make it to rescue vessels. Mr Simfukwe said the provincial administration suspected that the boat could have been overloaded and that was why it capsized when it encountered the waves. "I can confirm that there was an accident on Lake Tanganyika in which seven people died while 33 others survived," the permanent secretary said. He said of the seven bodies, only two had been recovered and were lying in the Mpulungu Hospital mortuary and a search for the five had been instituted. Mr Simfukwe said the Government had directed the police in Mpulungu to investigate the cause of the accident and if the captain would be found wanting, the law would take its course. He said if the boat was overloaded, the district would ensure that the captain was charged because the Government could not go on losing innocent lives. By Press time, the captain of the boat was being interrogated by the district administration to establish the cause of the accident.
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