At least 20 people feared dead after boat capsizes on Uganda's Nguse river

Search and rescue operations were underway in western Uganda on Wednesday after a boat capsized on the Nguse river, with at least 20 people feared dead.

More than 30 people were on board when the vessel went down the previous evening.

Eight survivors have been found and are receiving medical treatment. Authorities have urged victims’ relatives to come forward.

Marine police in Kigadi district have launched an inquiry into the cause of the accident. They said possible factors include overloading, night travel and the boat’s condition.

According to media reports, the locally made canoe capsized was loaded with bags of charcoal.

The region has seen a number of boat accidents in recent years, particularly on Lake Victoria.

Hundreds of people died when a passenger ferry sank on the Tanzanian side of the lake in 2018.