Update - MV Nyerere Sinking

   NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) - A survivor has been found inside a capsized Tanzanian ferry two days after the disaster on Lake Victoria, an official said Saturday, while coffins arrived for at least 167 victims and counting.

   An engineer was found near the engine of the upturned vessel, Mwanza regional commissioner John Mongella told reporters. The Tanzanian Broadcasting Corporation reported he had shut himself into the engine room. His condition was not immediately clear.

   Search efforts continued around the ferry's exposed underside as families of victims prepared to claim the dead. No one knows how many people were on board the ferry, which had a capacity of 101. Officials on Friday said at least 40 people had been rescued.

   The government's Chief Secretary John Kijazi announced the rising death toll to reporters after President John Magufuli ordered the arrests of those responsible.

   "This is a great disaster for our nation," Magufuli said, announcing four days of national mourning.

   The badly overloaded ferry capsized in the final stretch before shore on Thursday afternoon as people returning from a busy market day shifted and prepared to disembark. Horrified fishermen and other witnesses have expressed fear that more than 200 could have died.

   Pope Francis, the United Nations secretary-general, Russian President Vladimir Putin and a number of African leaders have expressed shock and sorrow.

   The MV Nyerere, named for the former president who led the East African nation to independence, was traveling between the islands of Ukara and Ukerewe when it sank, according to the government agency in charge of servicing the vessels.

   Accidents are often reported on the large freshwater lake surrounded by Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda. Some of the deadliest have occurred in Tanzania, where aging passenger ferries often carry hundreds of passengers and well beyond capacity.

   In 1996, more than 800 people died when passenger and cargo ferry MV Bukoba sank on Lake Victoria.

   Nearly 200 people died in 2011 when the MV Spice Islander I sank off Tanzania's Indian Ocean coast near Zanzibar.

Ferry MV Nyerere Yazama Ziwa Victoria - Watu zaidi ya 400 Wahofia Kufa

Inasdikiwa kuwa watu zaidi ya 400 wamekufa  baada ya Feri ya MV Nyerere kuzama Ziwa Victoria siku ya Alhamisi.  Feri ilizama karibu na kitou  cha Ukara Island. Ilikuwa na uwezo ya kubeba abiria mia lakini watu waansema ilikuwa imebeba zaidi ya watu 400.  Siku ya alhamisi iliku siku ya watu kwenda Sokoni 'Market Day', kwenda kununua na kuuza bidhaa mbalimbali. Raisi Magufuli amesema kuwa nahodha wa Ferry hakuwa na kipaji cha kuendesha feri hiyo.

KWA HABARI ZAIDI BOFYA HAPA

MV Nyerere ikiwa kazini Ziwa Victoria

MV Nyerere baada ya kuzama Ziwa Victoria

Jitihada za Uokoaji

Saida Karoli ni Mzima! Hajafa!

Wadau, ndo Uselebriti huo, Uzushi mwingi! Saida Karoli yu Hai!  Mungu azidi kumbariki!

Hakuwemo kwenye boti iliyopata ajali, Ziwa Victoria!

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Taarifa ya Neville Meena kuwa ingawa ni kweli kuna ajali ya boti iliyotokea, mwanamuziki Saida Karoli hakuwa mmoja wa waliokuwemo kwenye boti hiyo na yuko hai!Taarifa hiyo imetoa angalizo kutafuta uhakika kwani inasemekana kuwa Saida Karoli ni mzima, yupo jijini Dar es Salaam: “Nimetafuta namba yake ya simu sijaipata, ila taarifa kutoka Bukoba na ofisi ya Ofisa Utamaduni Muleba zinasema siyo kweli…” ameandika Meena.
Kuhusiana na ajali ya boti, Meena amesema, “…ni kweli kwamba kuna boti imezama katika Ziwa Victoria, na kulikuwa na uvumi mwingi mjini Bukoba na Wilayani Muleba kuhusu mwanamuziki huyo kufariki lakini baadaye ikathibitika kwamba hakuwa mmoja wa abiria.”Nayo Upland FM radio, Kwa kupitia Facebook page yake, imekanusha taarifa za kufariki Saida kalori na kusema msanii huyo ni mzima wa Afya. “TAARIFA: Kumezuka habari zisizo rasmi juu ya mwanamuziki SAIDA KALORI. Tunaomba kuthibitisha kwa Mwanamuziku huyo ni MZIMA wa afya kabisa. Usidanganywe na uzushi wowote. ASANTE.” imesema taarifa hiyo ya Upland FM

Watu Zaidi ya 100 wahofia Kufa - Ajali ya MV Skagit

Baadhi ya wananchi wakiwa katika Foleni ili kwenda kuzitambua Maiti zao katika Viwanja vya Maisara kutokana na  kuzama kwa Meli ya  skagit hapo jana katika Eneo la karibu na Kisiwa cha Chumbe Zanzibar.

 Kutoka BBC.com BOFYA HAPA KUONA VIDEO

A naval search operation resumed at first light to find an estimated 100 people missing after a Tanzanian ferry sank near Zanzibar's main island.

The boat had left the city of Dar es Salaam on mainland Tanzania on Wednesday with 290 people on board.
So far 34 bodies have been recovered and more than 150 people rescued.
Zanzibar's police spokesman told the AFP news agency he feared there was now little hope of finding survivors from the MV Skagit ferry.
"Search operations continue but it is now almost impossible survivors will be found," the agency quotes him as saying.
Three days of mourning Survivors said they fear some of the passengers became trapped in vessel when it capsized in strong winds.
Some complained that they had initially been told everything would be OK and were not shown how to put on life jackets.
Then as the ferry went down, they jumped overboard clinging to life boats that automatically inflated, before being rescued by a passing tug boat.

Ali Mohamed Shein, president of the semi-autonomous archipelago of Zanzibar, has declared three days of national mourning.
The ferry left Dar es Salaam at 12:00 local time (09:00 GMT) on Wednesday bound for the main island of the Zanzibar archipelago.
Hamza Kabelwa, director of the Tanzania Meteorological Agency, told the BBC's Swahili service that a warning had been issued for vessels not to make the crossing because of the rough seas.
Zanzibar's transport minister told reporters that two Europeans were among the dead.
The rescue operation had to be abandoned on Wednesday evening because of bad weather.
The BBC's Hassan Mhelela in Dar es Salaam says on Thursday morning there were many anxious relatives of missing MV Skagit passengers at the airport waiting to fly to Zanzibar.
The route between Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar is a busy crossing, popular with both Tanzanians and foreign tourists.
Last September, nearly 200 people died when an overcrowded boat with 800 people aboard sank off Zanzibar.

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Baadhi ya maiti ya watoto waliokufa katika ajali ya MV Skagit.  Mungu alaze roho zao mahala pema mbinguni.  Jamani lini serikali itadhibiti usalama wa usafiri wa meli Tanzania!!!!!

Maiti zikihifadhiwa katika viwanja vya Maisara mjini Zanzibar tayari kwa utambuzi wa ndugu na jamaa.

 

Meli Yazama Zanzibar Leo! Watu Zaidi ya 15 wahofia Kufa!

Hata mwaka haijapita  tangu ajali mbaya ya MV Spice Islander na kuna habari kuwa meli nyingine imezama pwani ya Zanzibar! Watu zaidi ya 15 wamekufa.  Hiyo meli ilikuwa imebeba wageni pamoja na wazawa.

Natoa pole kwa wafiwa wote.  Lini serikali ya Tazania itaingilia usalama wa meli na ferry zetu? Itabidi watu wangapi wafe?

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Baadhi ya Wageni Kutoka nchi za Nje walioponea ajali ya meli leo pwani ya Zanzibar. Picha na Reuters

Kutoka Reuters:

Vessel said to have been hit by high winds


By Ally Saleh

STONE TOWN, Zanzibar, July 18 (Reuters) - A ferry with more than 280 people on board, including some foreigners, sank off the east African coast of the Zanzibar archipelago on Wednesday, killing at least 15 people, the government said.

The ferry, MV Skagit/Kalama, set sail from the mainland Tanzania at around midday heading to Zanzibar, Tanzania's semi-autonomous archipelago and a popular tourist destination.

Rescue boats and divers were searching for any remaining survivors on the mostly submerged vessel.

"So far 15 bodies have been recovered," Mwinyihaji Makame, a state minister in the president's office, told reporters.

Government spokesman Yusuf Chunda added: "One foreigner, a woman is among the dead. Thirteen other foreigners were rescued and are in hospital."

It was not clear how many other foreigners had been on board. Zanzibar police spokesman Mohammed Mhina said by telephone that many passengers were missing.

"More than 200 people are believed to have been on board the boat when it capsized. We don't know how many of them sank with the boat," Mhina said.

"The rescue operation is ongoing as we speak but almost the entire boat has been submerged in water ... only a small part of the boat is now visible."

Preliminary reports indicated the vessel had capsized after being hit by strong winds and waves, he said.

Police said the vessel was carrying 250 adult passengers and 31 children when it capsized near Chumbe island, west of Zanzibar.

The ferry is owned by a company named Seagull, which also runs a number of other ferries. Previous reports had indicated the vessel was called MV Salama.

More than 200 people were killed when a crowded ferry sank in September off the coast of east Africa in the worst maritime disaster in the history of Zanzibar. (Additional reporting by Fumbuka Ng'wanakilala in Dar es Salaam; Editing by James Macharia, Yara Bayoumy and Alison Williams)

Ajali ya Meli Costa Concordia - Titanic 2012

Mwaka 1912 meli ya fahari, Titanic, ilizama katika bahari ya Atlantic.  Titanic iligonga kipande kikubwa cha barafu (iceberg) na sehemu ya chini ikachanywa hivyo maji yaliingia kwa wingi na kusababisha meli kuzama. Watu 1,600 walipoteza maisha yao. Baada ya Titanic kuzama sheria za kusafirsha abiria baharini zilibadilika sana zikizingatia usalama wa wasafiri.


Usiku wa kuamkia leo karibu miaka 100 tangu ajali ya Titanic,  meli ya fahari Costa Concordia imezama kwenye pwani ya Italia. Meli iligonga kitu baharini na sehemu yake ya chini kachanwa. Kwa bahati nzuri ilizama karibu na ardhi. Meli hiyo ilikuwa na wasafiri zaidi ya 4,000. Kati yao watatu wamethibitishwa kufa na 70 wamepotea hawajuliani walipo.

Walioponea ajali  ya Concordia wanasema kuwa zile boat za kuokoa abiria zilikuwa bure maana meli ilizama upande ambao ilikuwa zirushwe majini. Aibiria wengi waliamua kujitosa baharini na kuogelea hadi wafike kwenye ardhi.  


Pia, wanasema kuwa hawakuwahi kufanya zoezi ya jinsi ya kushuka kwenye meli kama ikipata ajali, hivyo watu wengi hawakujua wafanye nini!


Wadau, kila ukipanda kwenye ndege Mhudumu  (au video) anakuonyesha milango ya kutokea ikitokea dharurua na jinisi ya kuvaa zile life vests. Kwenye meli hawafanyi hivyo kweli?


Kwa habari zaidi someni: 


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-16558910

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-dorset-16560737

Meli Costa Concordia baada ya ajali na kabla ya kuzama.

Waokoaji

Meli Costa Concordia ikiwa imelala ubavuni kwenye pwani ya Italia

Meli Yazama Nigeria

Meli nyingine imezama barani Afrika. Safari hii imet0kea nchini Nigeria.

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LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) - A rescue official says at least 30 people died after an overloaded boat capsized in Nigeria's oil-rich southern delta.

Emergency manager Napoleon Ezekiah told The Associated Press on Friday that at least 14 others are feared dead after the boat going from Eagle Island to Mgbuodohia in Rivers state capsized Tuesday night.

Ezekiah says the engine-powered wooden boat had a capacity of about 35 people, but is believed to have been carrying as many as 55 passengers on the journey that usually takes about 5 minutes.

  He says six people survived, including a woman who gave birth Thursday to "a bouncing baby boy."
 
People rely largely on boat travel in rural parts of Nigeria's oil-rich but impoverished delta, a region of swamps, mangroves and creeks, roughly the same size as South Carolina.

MV Spice Islander Ilikuwa na Abiria 3,000 Ilipozama!

Wadau, kuna madai kuwa hiyo meli MV Spice Islander ilikuwa na abiria 3,000 wakati ilipozama! Maiti za waliokufa maji zinaanza kuonekana Mombasa.

MV Spice Islander Ikipakia Mizigo Zanzibar

Kutoka Gazeti la Mwananchi:

Elias Msuya na Jackson Odoyo, Zanzibar


MELI ya MV Spice Islanders iliyopata ajali mwishoni mwa wiki iliyopita na kusababisha vifo vya takriban watu 200 na majeruhi 619 ambao waliokopolewa, ilibeba abiria 3,000 wakati uwezo wake ni kubeba abiria 600 tu.Habari zilizolifikia gazeti hili jana zimeeleza kuwa idadi hiyo kubwa ya abiria, haijumuishi mizigo ambayo kiasi chake bado hakijajulikana.

Mkuu wa Mkoa wa Kaskazini Pemba, Dadi Fakhi Dadi alisema jana kuwa mkoa huo umepoteza watu 1,600 katika ajali hiyo, huku Wilaya ya Wete pekee ikiwa imepoteza watu 1,141.Dadi alisema hayo alipokuwa akizungumza mbele ya Makamu wa Kwanza wa Rais wa Zanzibar, Maalim Seif Sharif Hamad.

“Wilaya ya Micheweni imepoteza watu 367, huku Wilaya ya Mkoani, Mkoa wa Kusini Pemba ikipoteza watu 27 na Wilaya ya Chakechake imepoteza watu 148,” alisema Dadi na kuongeza:

“Kwa idadi hiyo ikijumlishwa na idadi ya watu 619 waliosalimika katika ajali hiyo na wengine 204 waliotambuliwa na kuzikwa na wengine watano waliookotwa Mombasa, huenda meli ile ilikuwa na watu 3, 000,” alisema Dadi.

Kutokana na takwimu zinazoendelea kukusanywa, hadi sasa zaidi ya watu 2,000 hawajulikani walipo, mbali ya wale 198 walioopolewa na kuzikwa na wengine 619 walionusurika.

Wabunge wa CUF wajiandaa kuishtaki Serikali

Wakati Serikali ikiendelea kukusanya takwimu za waliokufa au kupotea kwenye ajali hiyo, baadhi ya wabunge wa Chama cha Wananchi (CUF), wamekuwa wakizunguka majimboni mwao kufanya tathmini kwa lengo la kuishtaki Serikali.

Mbunge wa Jimbo la Ziwani, Ahmed Juma Ngwali alisema anatafuta idadi kamili ya wananchi wake walioathirika kwa ajali hiyo ili afanye utaratibu wa kuishtaki Serikali kutokana na uzembe uliosababisha ajali hiyo.

“Tukishapata orodha kamili ya wananchi, nakwenda kutafuta orodha ya abiria waliokuwa kwenye meli, nalinganisha. Kwa wale waliokuwa na tiketi, nitasimamia walipwe bima zao na mmiliki wa meli. Wale waliozidi nitaishtaki Serikali kwa kuzembea,” alisema Ngwali.

Ngwali aliyekuwa akizunguka nyumba hadi nyumba kuorodhesha watu hao, alisema kwa kiasi kikubwa, Serikali ndiyo iliyofanya uzembe katika tukio hilo.

“Huu ni uzembe na ni lazima twende mahakamani. Ikiwa samaki wa Magufuli (Waziri wa Ujenzi), hadi leo wanasotesha watu mahakamani, itakuja kuwa watu?” alisema.

Mbunge wa Ole, Rajab Mbarouk alisema anakusudia kupeleka hoja binafsi bungeni ili kumwajibisha Waziri Mkuu, Mizengo Pinda kwa tukio hilo.

"Inaonyesha Serikali haina takwimu sahihi, ndiyo maana sisi tumeamua kufanya tathmini ya kina,” alisema na kuongeza kuwa tathmini hiyo itamsaidia kuratibu misaada anayopata kutoka kwa mashirika mbalimbali kwa ajili ya watu walioathirika katika tukio hilo.

“Kwa mfano sasa Benki ya Watu wa Kenya (KCB) imetoa ahadi ya kusomesha watoto yatima waliofiwa na wazazi katika ajali hiyo. Lazima niwe na takwimu sahihi za kuwapa benki hiyo,” alisema Mbarouk.

Akizungumzia suala la Waziri Mkuu mbunge huyo alisema: “Sisi ni wasemaji wa wananchi siyo Serikali. Nina mpango wa kupeleka hoja binafsi Bungeni ili Waziri Mkuu awajibike.”

Alieleza sababu za kutaka Waziri Mkuu awajibike kuwa ni pamoja na Serikali kupuuza swali lake alilouliza bungeni kuhusu usalama wa vyombo vya majini hadi sasa.

Kazi ya kuwaokoa walizama bado nguvu

Kazi ya uokoaji wa miili ya watu wanaosadikiwa kunasa ndani ya meli hiyo inaonekana kuwa ngumu baada ya wataalamu wa uokoaji kutoka Afrika Kusini kushindwa kuendelea na kazi kutokana na kina kirefu cha maji katika eneo hilo.

Tetesi za kushindikana kwa kazi hiyo zilianza kusikika jana kutoka kwa wavuvi ambao wamekuwa wakifanya kazi zao katika eneo hilo kwa kipindi kirefu huku. Wavuvi hao wanasema eneo hilo lina urefu wa zaidi ya mita 300 kutoka usawa wa bahari.

Mzamiaji kutoka eneo la Nungwi, Karim Abdallah alisema: “Hili eneo tunalifahamu lina kina kirefu sana unaweza kubeba kamba zinazojaza boti na ukifika eneo hilo na kutupa nanga haifiki chini, tulifahamu kwamba wataalamu hao hawawezi kufanya lolote katika eneo hilo.”

Kauli ya wavuvi hao ilionekana kuthibitishwa na Serikali ya Mapinduzi Zanzibar (SMZ) ambayo iliamua kuondoa mahema yaliyokuwa yamewekwa katika fukwe za Nungwi kwa ajili ya kuhifadhi miili ilinayopatikana.

Mkuu wa Mkoa wa Kaskazini Unguja, Pembe Juma alisema wameamua kuanua mahema hayo kwa sababu uwezekano wa kupata miili iliyobaki ni mdogo.

“Tumelazimika kuondoa mahema hayo kwa sababu hali inavyoonekana ni wazi kuwa wataalamu hao wanaweza wakashindwa kupata miili ya watu wanaokisiwa kubaki katika eneo hilo” alisema Juma.

Hata hivyo, alipoulizwa juu ya hali ya waokoaji hao ambao bado wako katika eneo la tukio wakiongozwa na Kikosi cha Maji cha Jeshi la Wananchi wa Tanzania (JWTZ) alisema: “Sina mamlaka ya kuzungumzia mazingira ya wataalamu hao isipokuwa taarifa nilizonazo kwa sasa ndizo hizo nilizowapa.”

Wataalamu hao walitakiwa kuanza kazi hiyo juzi lakini wakashindwa kuendelea na kazi hiyo kwa sababu ya hali ya bahari kuwa mbaya. Hata hivyo, walianza tena kazi hiyo leo ingawa si kwa kuingia baharini kutafuta waliokwama chini ya maji, bali kutafuta maiti zinazoelea katika maeneo mbalimbali ya Tanga, Mombasa, Unguja na Pemba.

Katika hatua nyingine mtu mmoja alinusurika jana baada ya kuwadhihaki hadharani watu waliokumbwa na mkasa huo wa ajali ya meli kwa kudai kwamba walistahili.

Mashuhuda waliokuwapo katika eneo hilo walidai kuwa sekunde chache baada ya kutamka maneno hayo, alivamiwa na watu waliokuwa eneo hilo lakini akafanikiwa kukimbilia katika duka la vitabu la Masomo na hatimaye kuokolewa na Polisi wa Kikosi cha Kutuliza Ghasia (FFU) wakiongozwa na Mkuu wa Polisi Kituo cha Malindi, Haji Mgoro.

Mkurugenzi wa duka hilo, Farouk Karim Karim alisema hatua ya mtu huyo kukimbilia dukani kwake ilihatarisha maisha yake baada ya umati watu kufunga mitaa yote inayozunguka Soko Kuu la Darajani ukimlazimisha kumtoa mtu huyo vinginevyo waingie kumtoa wenyewe.

“Kwa kweli mimi sikufahamu hata walipoanzia. Nilikuwa hapa dukani ghafla nikashtuka mtu anaingia ndani huku akisema nakufa, kabla hata sijamuuliza kilichomsibu umati watu ukawa umeshajazana dukani kwangu ndipo nilipolazimika kufunga mlango na kuwaita polisi,” alisema Karim.

Seif atoa mkono wa pole

Maalim Seif, jana aliongoza ujumbe wa viongozi wa Serikali kutoa pole kwa wafiwa waliopoteza ndugu na jamaa zao. Katika ziara hiyo, alifuatana Mawaziri wasiokuwa na Wizara Maalumu; Haji Faki Shaali na Machano Othman Said, Waziri wa Ustawi wa Jamii na Maendeleo ya Vijana, Wanawake na Watoto, Zainab Omar na Waziri wa Mifugo na Uvuvi, Said Ali Mbarouk.

Akizungumza na ndugu na jamaa wa marehemu hao katika Ukumbi wa Umoja ni Nguvu, Mkoani na baadaye Uwanja wa Gombani katika Mkoa wa Kusini Pemba, Maalim Seif aliwataka wakazi wa Zanzibar, kuvuta subira kwa kuwa msiba huo ni wa taifa zima na ni mipango ya Mungu.

Alisema Serikali inaamini kuwa kulikuwa na uzembe katika tukio hilo ndiyo maana imeamua kuunda tume huru ambayo itafanya uchunguzi wa kina kuhusu suala hilo.Alisema Serikali haitasita kumchukulia hatua mtendaji yeyote atakayebainika kuhusika katika uzembe uliosababisha ajali hiyo.Akiwa Mkoa wa kusini Pemba, Maalim Seif ametoa mkono wa pole na ubani kwa familia zaidi ya 112.

Magodoro, Milango ilisaidia Kuokoa maisha katika Ajali ya MV Spice Islander

Wadau, kwenye miaka ya 1980's kulikuwa na jali ya mashua Zanzibar. Magodoro yalisaidia kuokoa maisha ya watu katika ajali hiyo.

Lakini sheriza za bahari zinasema kuwa meli lazima iwe na Lifejackets na boti za kutosha abiria kwenye meli! Kwa vilie meli MV Spice Islander ilikuwa na watu wengi kuliko kiasi chake cha kubeba watu 600,  hazikutosha!  SERIKALI MKO WAPI HAPO?
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Kutoka IPPMEDIA.com
 Survivor: Mattresses, Doors Saved Our Lives

By Judica Tarimo

12th September 2011As the nation enters the second day of mourning the MV Spice Islanders tragedy, one of the survivors, Kassim Abdalah said yesterday that most passengers used mattresses and wooden doors to keep afloat.

According to the survivor, they started the journey at Zanzibar Port around 10.00 pm on Friday heading to Pemba.

“But even before we started the journey, most of us (passengers) were not comfortable with the condition of the ship…the vessel was tilting, something that worried many passengers, including me,” narrated Abdallah, a resident of Kisiwani Kojani.

He said a short distance from Nungwi Bay some passengers started sensing abnormal movements of the ship.

“It seemed as if the ship was sinking… fear and tension gripped most passengers on board,” he explained, adding: “The situation worsened when we arrived at Nungwi Bay after one of the ship’s engines stalled.”

Fearing for their lives, some passengers, especially women, started crying, with others asking the ship’s captain to assure them of their safety, after the engine ceased.

This forced the captain to make an announcement…urging passengers not to panic, saying the ship could still travel on one engine. “According to the captain we would arrive safely despite of the problem. Since we (passengers) are not experts, we believed him, and the journey continued,” he said.

They proceeded with the safari, but when they were some five kilometres from Nungwi Bay, the second engine ceased, shocking everybody and triggering more panic and outcries amongst passengers, as sea water started entering the ship.

“The ship had started to sink, slowly! Every passenger prayed to God for some miracles to save our lives. There was nothing we could do except to pray,” he explained.

“It reached a point when almost half of the ship was covered with water…it is at this point when many children and infants died, as adults, like me, struggled to save our lives,” said Abdallah.

The ship’s captain, assisted by five sailors, threw life buoys into the Ocean, and all of them jumped onto them and started helping other passengers out of the sinking ship onto the rescue facility.

“Unfortunately the rescue facility could not accommodate all passengers, because the carrier capacity of that facility was low compared to the number of people needing help,” the survivor explained.

“Fortunately as we desperately sought ways to save ourselves, we realized that, there were mattresses and wooden doors on top of the ship…they belonged to businesspeople plying between Pemba and Unguja.”

“So, one of us (passengers) threw the mattresses and the doors to the ocean which we used as rafters to rescue passengers. Honestly speaking, these mattresses and doors, saved lives of many more passengers,” he added.

Abdallah said while the rescue continue, a group of 40 passengers, including him had clung to the ship, in anticipation of assistance from relevant authorities and anybody else who might happen.

“No rescue came and the whole ship sunk, taking with it 25 passengers who probably died. I and 14 other passengers used mattresses and doors which were floating on the surface to remain afloat. We held onto the mattresses and doors, for hours---from around 1.00 am until morning,” he said.

While on the Ocean, waiting for help, he said: “We saw an airplane, afar. We raised our hands and water pipes—hoping it would spot us. Apparently noticing us, the plane circled above for a while…before flying away.”

“Not long after a boat come to our rescue. Before helping us out of the water, people on the boat spent sometime, taking our photos,” said Abdallah.

“After this the boat came close to where we were, picked us up and put all of us onto it…in short the mattresses and doors, saved my life and those of many other passengers, in the tragedy,” he concluded.

Serikali Haijui Nani Mmiliki wa MV Spice Islander

Makaburi yaliyochimbwa Zanzibar kwa ajali ya maiti ya waliofariki katika ajali ya meli MV Spice Islander. Picha imepigwa na Khalfan Said

Wadau, ni aibu kuwa serikali ya Zanzibar eti haijui nani mmiliki wa meli iliyozama pwani ya Zanzibar MV Spice Islander. Ina maana kuwa walikuwa hawalipi kodi? Nani alikuwa anawalipa wafanyakazi wa meli? Hela ya tiketi na mizigo ilikuwa inaenda wapi? Nani alilipa hiyo hongo ya 3M/- T.shs. ili meli iondoke bandari ya Zanzibar ikiwa imejaza kupindukia?

Kuna watu pale mamlaka ya bandari na serikalini wanaostahili kujiiuluzu! Miili yao imepakwa damu ya marehemu waliokufa katika ajali ya MV Spice Islander!

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Maritime Tragedy in East Africa


Zanzibar government denies knowledge of owners of sunken ferry


By Dr. Wolfgang H. Thome, eTN Uganda
Sep 12, 2011

(eTN) - In an extraordinary, though not unprecedented turn of events, the government of Zanzibar has reportedly denied having any knowledge of the registered owners of the MV Spice Islander. The Spice Islander is the ferry between Unguja - commonly referred to as Zanzibar - and Pemba, that capsized and sunk on September 10, 2011 with over 600 or 800 people on board - the number has yet to be determined - leaving scores of passengers dead in the water and others struggling to survive by clinging on to debris until they could be pulled out of the water by rescuers.

Registration and licensing of ocean going vessels, however, has been confirmed to be a function of government by tourism stakeholders, one of whom said this in an email overnight:

"This is not just unreal but almost mocking those seeking answers, those who lost relatives on the islands. How can a government claim not to be aware of the owners and it is the same government giving them a license.

"We are also disturbed about conflicting figures, some of which put the total passengers to over 800 and then government mouthpieces try to shrink these figures to within the licensed number. What is going on here?

"The tragedy was avoidable if only rules were enforced. There is notorious corruption across all outlets of public services, and they are now just trying to whitewash the whole thing.

"It is high time that government brings us new safe ferries, which can be used to travel from one island to the other without risking our lives every time one sets foot on board."

The central government in Dar es Salaam did, according to media reports, release 300 million Tanzania Ssillings to assist bereaved families with funeral expenses.

The official number of casualties was given by a Zanzibar government spokesperson as just under 200 with nearly 600 survivors, which would put the overall number of passengers on board well over the licensed figure permitted. There is also no certainty over the number of bodies not yet recovered, as apparently no complete passenger manifest was produced prior to the ferry leaving for its last ill-fated journey to Pemba.

Reconciling survivors and casualties is, therefore, literally impossible for the authorities in Zanzibar. It is understood that Kenyan authorities are now also keeping a watch along the shores from across the Pemba Channel, in case any bodies would be spotted across the international border.

A legal aid organization is planning to sue Zanzibar's government and others involved for negligence.



MV Spice Islander at the Zanzibar Port in 2009



Meli Imezama Zanzibar - Mamia Wamekufa!

Wadau, kumradhi muda huu nimegundua hii ya meli iliyozama ni feki. Siyo MV Spice Islandder. Picha ya Juu ndo MV Spice Islander. Picha hii ilipigwa 2007.

(Pichani - Meli M.V. Spice Islanders ikiwa imezama Pwani ya Nungwi  Picha kwa hisani ya mdau  Ahmed Muhamed Ahmed wa Zanzinet)

Meli M.V. Spice Islanders imezama baharini ikitoka Zanzibar kwenda  Pemba. Habari zinasema kuwa meli iilikuwa imejaza kupita kiasi abiria na mizigo! Imezama eneo la Nungwi, pwani ya Zanzibar. 


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STONE TOWN, Tanzania (AP) - An overcrowded ship sank in deep sea off mainland Tanzania on Saturday with about 600 people onboard, and about 370 people are believed missing or dead.

The ferry, M.V. Spice Islanders, was heavily overloaded and some potential passengers had refused to board when it was leaving the mainland port of Dar es Salaam, said survivor Abdullah Saied. It sank in an area with heavy currents in deep sea between mainland Tanzania and Pemba Island at about 1 a.m. Saturday.

About 230 people had been rescued and 40 bodies had been recovered, said Mohamed Abud, the minister for the vice president's office.

Thousands of residents mobbed the docks of Stone Town on Zanzibar, an island near Pemba, waiting for news. One man was screaming that he had lost 25 members of his family, including his sisters, his wife and grandsons. He was too upset to give his name. Many of the crowd were crying or screaming.

Seven bodies have washed up so far, said witness Abdirizak Juma.

Many of those present expressed anger that the ship had been allowed to leave port so overloaded and called on government officials to resign.

The green and hilly island of Pemba is often described as one of the best scuba diving destinations in the world.