Families search for loved ones at Mutima beach

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | More people have shown up at Mutima Beach along the shores of Lake Victoria, to search for their relatives who were reported missing after a boat accident that killed more than 30 people over the weekend.

The boat plunged into the lake on its way to from KK Beach in Gaba to K Palm Beach in Mpatta Sub County, Mukono district, where a party had been organized for a group of merry makers. It is not yet clear how many people were aboard the ill-fated ride before it malfunctioned, although the number was estimated to be above 100 people.

But according to police records, only 27 people were registered among those who were rescued, while 33 were confirmed dead. The record implies that only 60 people can be accounted for, as marine units continue the retrieval operation for the wreckage, personal items and bodies that could be trapped under water.

Harriet Nakimbugwe, a resident of Bulenga in Wakiso district is one of those desperately searching for the body of her niece Eron Ndagire, 23, a student of Journalism and mass communication at Makerere University, who is still missing.

According to Nakimbugwe, Ndagire last communicated on Friday, indicating that she was due to join friends for a boat cruise to K-Palm beach in Mpatta Sub County, Mukono district. But, according to Nakimbugwe, Ndagire’s phones have remained off since Saturday.

Nakimbugwe said that she had cautioned her niece against the trip but permitted her when she insisted.

Saulo Wamala, a resident of Kisoga village in Mukono District also showed up today, searching for the possible remains of his niece Godfrey Musisi, a resident of Kabalagala on the suburbs of Kampala.

Three other families had earlier been to the same place looking for their loved ones who have remained out of reach. The missing persons include Peter Kakooza from Masaka, Sylvia Namutebi of Nakisunga, and one Andrew Ssenyonga.

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