MV Bukoba

MV Bukoba was a passenger steamer that sank in Lake Victoria, 30 kilometers from Mwanza, Tanzania on May 21, 1996, killing nearly 1000 people. The boat transported passengers and cargo between Bukoba and Mwanza ports.

The steamer's capacity was 430, but around 800 people drowned as the boat sank to the bottom of Lake Victoria. The manifest showed 443 passengers in the first and second class cabins, but the cheaper third class compartment had no manifest. Abu Ubaidah al-Banshiri, who was at the time second in command of the Al Qaeda organization, died in the accident.

The lack of equipment and divers were partially to blame for the death toll. Rescue teams from South Africa were flown in to salvage the ship and retrieve bodies that sank 25 meters under water.

President Benjamin Mkapa of Tanzania declared three days of national mourning after the tragedy.

See also

• Lake Victoria ferries