At least 20 people are lucky to be alive after two boats collided on Lake Victoria between Bavuma Island and Lolwe Island in Namayingo District.
The collision is said to have occurred at around 3am on August 19th according to the Officer-in-Charge of Bukooli Island, Godfrey Luyiga.
Luyiga attributed the accident to poor vision and failure to observe guidelines.
“The two boats were moving without any lighting system that is why they collided,” he said.
The Police say despite issuing a ban on night travel on Lake Victoria, many boat operators continue to travel during the night which is a challenge.
The ban was introduced in 2007 by the Uganda Maritime Authority (UMA). It prohibits vessels from operating or traveling on Lake Victoria between 7 pm and 6am. The main reason for the ban was safety concerns. Lake Victoria can experience dangerous swells, waves, and storms at night which increase the risks of accidents.
There were numerous cases of boats capsizing and passengers drowning at night due to poor visibility and harsh weather conditions. The UMA felt a night travel ban was needed to reduce risks and prevent further loss of lives on the large lake, which borders Uganda, Tanzania, and Kenya. Exceptions are allowed for emergencies, search and rescue operations, and authorized fishermen. But recreational evening boating is prohibited.
Luyiga also said, “Two boats collided at Lineila in Buvuma islands but fortunately, all the occupants were rescued and are in Lowe Island. One of the boats sunk.
One of the boats is said to have been carrying passengers and merchandise from Ripon Landing Site in Jinja City heading to Lolwe Island when it collided with another boat carrying sand from Lineila in Buvuma Island to Jinja City.
Police say that following the collision, the boat which was loaded with sand and 10 passengers sank, while the passenger transport boat suffered minor damages.
“The passengers who were on the sand-carrying boat were rescued and placed on a passenger boat and that is how all the 20 occupants survived death,” Mr Luiga added.
Mr Bosco Nyebenza, the Lolwe Sub-county Local Council III Chairman, said that all the passengers aboard the two boats had been rescued and safely evacuated to Gorofa Landing Site in Lowe Island where the injured received treatment.
He said: “We were simply lucky that only one boat sunk, otherwise we would be speaking about a large number of people who have drowned.”
