Death toll rises to 131 after Tanzanian ferry capsizes

Tanzanian president John Magufuli.
(Image credit: TINA SMOLE/AFP/Getty Images)

At least 131 people have died after a Tanzanian ferry capsized on Lake Victoria on Thursday, The New York Times reported Friday. Initial reports put the death toll at just 44.

Tanzanian President John Magufuli on Friday ordered the arrest of "all those involved in the management of the ferry," South Africa's The Sunday Times says. The ferry was reportedly holding up to 300 people at the time, despite its maximum capacity being around 100, per The New York Times. Isack Kamwelwe, Tanzania's minister for communication, transport, and infrastructure, said the government is no longer searching for survivors and that the death toll could continue to rise.

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Marianne Dodson

Marianne is The Week’s Social Media Editor. She is a native Tennessean and recent graduate of Ohio University, where she studied journalism and political science. Marianne has previously written for The Daily Beast, The Crime Report, and The Moroccan Times.