Steering the ferry, which was previously wrecked on Lake Victoria in Tanzania, made a too sharp turn at the control, because of what the ship turned upside down, according to the local edition of Citizen.

According to the publication, the surviving passengers of the ferry declared to the state television that the helmsman spoke on his mobile phone and began to go to the berth on the wrong side.

"People told him to stop the phone conversation and concentrate on managing the ferry. As we approached the pier, we saw that it was heading to the left of the pier, while the landing area on the right side. And he made a sharp turn, "- said one of the passengers Ochory Burana.

According to Burana, because of a sharp turn, the ship leaned on one side, throwing people and cargo overboard, and "when it bent over the other side, it went under water with everyone who was on board".

The ferry rolled over on Thursday at 50 meters from the pier on the island of Yukora. According to various sources, 200 or 400 people were on board, which greatly exceeds the capabilities of the ferry. The vessel also carried cargo, including bags of corn, bananas and cement.

According to Citizen, at the moment found 196 dead. President of the country John Magufuli noted that, according to preliminary information, there was no captain on board, and the ferry manager did not have the relevant experience.