Sinking of the MV Spice Islander I on:
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On 10 September 2011, , a
Early news reports claimed that the ferry was carrying an estimated 800 people at the time of her sinking, and by 12 September, it was reported that over 240 bodies had been recovered. However, on 14 October, the Tanzanian government confirmed that the vessel had in fact been carrying around 3,586 passengers, of whom 2,764 were unaccounted for. In an investigative report published on 19 January 2012, these figures were revised downward, with 2,470 passengers, 203 confirmed dead, and 1,370 missing.
passenger ferry
A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water taxi ...
carrying over 2,000 passengers, sank off the coast of Zanzibar
Zanzibar (; ; ) is an insular semi-autonomous province which united with Tanganyika in 1964 to form the United Republic of Tanzania. It is an archipelago in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of the mainland, and consists of many small islan ...
. The ferry was travelling between Unguja
Unguja (also referred to as "Zanzibar Island" or simply "Zanzibar", in grc, Μενουθιάς, Menuthias – as mentioned in The ''Periplus of the Erythraean Sea'') is the largest and most populated island of the Zanzibar archipelago, in Tanza ...
and Pemba Pemba may refer to:
__NOTOC__ Places
* Pemba Island, in Tanzania
* Pemba, Mozambique
Pemba is a port city and district in Mozambique. It is the capital of the province of Cabo Delgado and lies on a peninsula in Pemba Bay.
The town was found ...
, two islands off the coast of mainland Tanzania
Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands ...
, when it capsized. Early estimates put the death toll at around 200, but a report published by the Tanzanian government in January 2012 claimed that over 1,500 people had been killed.
Incident
At 21:00local time
Local time is the time observed in a specific locality. There is no canonical definition. Originally it was mean solar time, but since the introduction of time zones it is generally the time as determined by the time zone in effect, with daylight s ...
(19:00 UTC), MV ''Spice Islander I'' sailed from Unguja
Unguja (also referred to as "Zanzibar Island" or simply "Zanzibar", in grc, Μενουθιάς, Menuthias – as mentioned in The ''Periplus of the Erythraean Sea'') is the largest and most populated island of the Zanzibar archipelago, in Tanza ...
, the main island of the Zanzibar archipelago, for Pemba Island
Pemba Island ( ar, الجزيرة الخضراء ''al-Jazīra al-khadrā'', literally "The Green Island"; sw, Pemba kisiwa) is a Tanzanian island forming part of the Zanzibar Archipelago, lying within the Swahili Coast in the Indian Ocean.
Geo ...
to the north. The ship's official capacity was 45 crew and 645 passengers, but it was reported to be heavily overloaded. Around four hours after departure, ''Spice Islander I'' sank between Zanzibar and Pemba. The ship is thought to have capsized after losing engine power. Of those on board, around 620 were rescued, with at least 40 of them suffering serious injuries. In addition to passengers, the ferry was believed to have been transporting cargo such as rice.
Death toll
Early news reports claimed that the ferry was carrying an estimated 800 people at the time of her sinking, and by 12 September, it was reported that over 240 bodies had been recovered. However, on 14 October, the Tanzanian government confirmed that the vessel had in fact been carrying around 3,586 passengers, of whom 2,764 were unaccounted for. In an investigative report published on 19 January 2012, these figures were revised downward, with 2,470 passengers, 203 confirmed dead, and 1,370 missing.
Response
The Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar set up a center for people involved in the tragedy and called upon reserves from Zanzibar to join the effort. It also called for foreign support from African countries. The survivors were rescued by ferries and brought back to Zanzibar's main harbour, in Stone Town. On 11 September, three days of mourning began for those who died in the incident. An investigation into the sinking was also announced; the Zanzibar minister of state, Mohamed Aboud Mohamed said: "The government will take stern measures against those found responsible for this tragedy, in accordance with the country's laws and regulations." Eight months later, the , another ferry on the same route, also sank, also with large loss of life.See also
* List of shipwrecks in 2011 * , a Tanzanian ferry which sank in 1996, also with great loss of life *Likoni Ferry
The Likoni Ferry is a ferry service across the Kilindini Harbour, serving the Kenyan city of Mombasa between the
Mombasa island side and the mainland suburb of Likoni. Two - four double-ended ferries alternate across the harbour, carrying bo ...
, which suffered a similar disaster in 1994, in nearby Mombasa
References
{{coord, 5, 39, 36, S, 39, 19, 12, E, region:TZ-07_type:event_source:kolossus-nowiki, display=title Maritime incidents in 2011 2011 in Tanzania History of Zanzibar Pemba Island Maritime incidents in Tanzania September 2011 events in Africa 2011 disasters in Africa sv:M/S Spice Islander