Police today confirmed a tragic incident involving a marine rescue boat which capsized on Lake Victoria which conducting a rescue mission to recover missing persons who had drowned earlier this week.
According to police, the police rescue boat capsized at about 10am after encountering strong winds while returning to the shore after successfully retrieving a body from the water.
In a statement, Deputy spokesperson for Kampala Metropolitan Police ASP Luke Owoyesigyire said all five Marine officers who were onboard the capsized boat have been rescued alive.
More than 26 people have so far been confirmed dead following a private-owned boat accident on Lake Victoria on Wednesday when a boat was carrying bags of charcoal, fresh foods and silver fish and people capsized on its way to Kalangala islands capsized.
The cause of the incident has been attributed to overloading and bad weather, and police is still conducting rescue missions to recover bodies.
Police however notes that today’s incident underscores the unpredictable nature of the lake and the challenging conditions that Marine officers face while executing their life-saving duties.
Owoyesigyire notes that efforts also retrieve more missing bodies are still on, but also expressed gratitude to all the rescuers who are participating in the successful retrieval of the missing person’s bodies and the prompt rescue of our officers for their bravery and dedication.
