An overloaded ferry  carrying hundreds of passengers and cargo that was travelling between Dar es Salaam to Pemba via Zanzibar capsized.

Divers from South Africa joined the search and rescue operation which helped save 600 people. More than 240 people were confirmed dead.

The captain of MV Spice Islander ferry has not yet been found. The Government suspect that the cause of the accident was overloading.

According to reports, the ship left Dar es Salaam with 166 passengers, including 65 children, and 58 tons of cargo. It is thought that passengers and additional cargo boarded at Zanzibar, overloading the ferry that was designed to carry 600 passengers and 500 tons of cargo,