Stone Town: A government official says more than 200 bodies have been recovered after an overloaded ferry sank off the Tanzania coast.
Mohammed Aboud Mohammed said on Sunday that 192 bodies had been claimed by relatives and 28 more were awaiting identification. The bodies have been taken to a sports field, where imams are saying prayers and the bodies are being washed and wrapped in white according to Islamic custom.
Weeping families walked among them looking for their families.
The MV Spice Islander sank in an area of deep sea and strong currents in the early hours of Saturday with hundreds more people aboard than its official capacity of 600.
The number of total passengers is still unclear and officials expect the death toll to rise.
Bureau Report
First Published: Sunday, September 11, 2011, 15:35