Dodoma, Sep 11 (IANS) Over 190 people have been confirmed dead in an accident which took place after a ship capsized near Tanzania's Zanzibar island in the Indian Ocean Saturday.


The accident occurred when a passenger and cargo ship capsized and sank early Saturday morning while sailing between the two major islands of Zanzibar, the semi-autonomous republic of Tanzania, Xinhua reported.

The ship was travelling Friday night from Zanzibar to Pemba, 40 km away, when it capsized at Nungwi area, making it the worst of its kind in the history of Zanzibar.

According to officials in charge of rescue operation, over 190 bodies have been recovered as local media reported that more than 620 people have been rescued so far with some treated and discharged and others admitted at Zanzibar general hospital.

The ill-fated ship Spice Islander was designed with a seating capacity of 610, but witnesses said there could be much more onboard when the overloaded ship was heading for Pemba, the sister island of Zanzibar.

Reports said the cause of the accident is due to overload of passengers and cargo, but other reports said technical fault could not be ruled out at this stage.