At least 30 Ugandan members of a village
football team and their fans drowned on Sunday when their boat capsized
on Lake Albert during a party, police said Monday.
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| Rescuers are seen on a fishing boat on Lake Albert, on December 26, 2016 in Buliisa, after at least 30 Ugandan members of a village soccer team and their fans drowned when their boat capsized on Lake Albert during a party. |
"There
was a party on the boat, the passengers were dancing and others were
drunk. The boat was overloaded with 45 people, all members of the
football team and local fans," police commander John Rutagira told AFP.
"The
water was calm but the problem came in when the merrymaking team and
fans tilted on one side of the boat... It capsized killing about 30
people," he added.
Police officers
working with local fishermen managed to rescue 15 of the revellers, who
were heading from the village of Kaweibanda in the western Buliisa
District to watch a friendly Christmas Day match in Hoima District,
Rutagira said.
The accident was the
second major disaster on Uganda's lakes in three days. On Friday, about
20 people perished in similar circumstances on Lake Victoria.
Fatal accidents are frequent on Ugandan waters. Last November, 10 people drowned in Lake Albert on the country's western shore.
