The bodies of seven of the nine people, who drowned when a boat capsized on Lake Victoria on Sunday, have been recovered.
Paul Zikuliza, the LC1 chairperson Nakiwogo landing site in Entebbe, says the bodies were recovered by fishermen near Nakiwogo bay. He says five of the bodies have been taken for burial by the relatives of the dead men. The two remaining bodies were uncollected by Thursday evening and will be buried at Missoli cemetery today if they are not claimed.
Sunday's boat accident took place when a large motorized canoe carrying timber from the Ssese Islands to Entebbe was caught up in a heavy rain storm.
One of the survivors of the accident, who only identified himself as Lukongwa, said he and the other passengers attempted to save the boat by throwing their cargo into the lake. However their efforts were futile as the wind was too strong for the boat to keep afloat.
Lukongwa says he and an elderly man identified as Mzee Olo managed to stay alive by holding on to empty jerricans. He says he and Olo floated on the lake for about five hours and were just about to give up when they were rescued by fishermen.
The LC1 chairperson says the deaths could have been avoided through the use of lifejackets. He chastised boat owners on Lake Victoria for continuously ignoring the wellbeing of their passengers by neglecting to buy the necessary marine safety equipment.
