Fears rise for missing Tanzanian ferry

At least 40 people are feared dead after a ferry disappeared off the coast of Tanzania.

Most of the passengers on board the overloaded Shukuru ferry were returning from a wedding party on the mainland. The newly-married couple was also on the ship.

We don't have any boats to launch a rescue operation

Pemba North police chief Ali Mbilikila

The ferry left Tanga, on mainland Tanzania, for the island of Pemba, in the Zanzibar archipelago on Tuesday and has not been seen since.

The BBC's Ali Saleh in Zanzibar says that ferry accidents are common in the region.

He says that last year, about 50 people were killed in three such tragedies.

Police say they do not know what happened as no bodies have been found.

The ferry may have been swept away towards Kenya or the Comoros islands.

Fruit and vegetables

A relative of one of the passengers, Amour Nassor Omar, was quoted as saying that the ferry had capsized during a severe storm.

Local facilities made it impossible to launch a search and rescue operation, police said.

"We don't have any boats to launch a rescue operation, so we can't say exactly where the boat disappeared, or if anybody survived," Pemba North police chief Ali Mbilikila said.

"Relatives of passengers on board the boat have been waiting at the Pemba port for any sign of the vessel or bodies being washed to the beach," he said.

The boat was reportedly overloaded with passengers and a cargo of potatoes, fruit and vegetables.