Five perish in boat accident on Lake Albert

Five members of the same family are feared dead after their boat capsized on Lake Albert in Buliisa district.

Butiaba, Lake Albert

Ibrahim Saiga, the Buliisa district police commander said on Tuesday that the boat that set off from Sonsio landing site capsized off Walukuba landing site in Butiaba Sub-county, Buliisa district at 7:30pm.

He said the boat that was carrying cowry shells had six people aboard but one was rescued by fishermen who were casting nets deep in the waters.

Saiga, identified those missing as Joseph Ssebale, 18, Ziwa Batulumayo, 22, Godfrey Kiwanuka, 21, Peterson Mukasa, 18, and its Navigator only identified as Masikini.

The four with exception of Masikini, are brothers of the same family and sons to Aisha Nabukenya, of Butiaba Sub-county in Buliisa district.

The survivor has only been identified as Mzee, 14, also of the same family. Nabukenya is a businesswoman dealing in cowry shells at Butiaba landing site. The five were returning to Butiaba.

Saiga blamed the accident on overloading and the turbulent storms by that time. He said the boat had twenty kilograms of shells. The search for the bodies continues but the waters are still hostile.