NARROW ESCAPE AS NILE BOAT CAPSIZES
While four passengers on a sundowner trip on the Nile, above Murchisons Falls, were found alive on a little rocky island last night two others appear to be still missing as this story goes to print.
A combined rescue mission was called in through the Uganda’s Peoples Defence Forces, which dispatched a helicopter and divers at short notice to sweep the downstream islands for signs of the passengers or the boat, which too was still missing when the survivors were found.
The alarm was raised when the boat did not return within the scheduled time and it is not clear at this stage if an engine failure or a collision with either a rocky outcrop in the river or maybe a hippo could have caused it to capsize. Good news though on the rescue of four while the anxiety understandably continues for the fate of the remaining two missing. Said a source not officially authorized to speak to the media but close to the incident: ‘this might call for a review of safety measures when such river trips are operated. The waters of the Nile can be tricky in this part with a lot of rocks not easily seen. Timing is also an issue because trips in the late afternoon push rescue or recovery efforts into the night when it is not very easy to assist someone stranded’.
Watch this space for a further update as and when available.
