Over 50 missing survivors of the Lake Victoria tragedy show up to claim property

Over 50 survivors who were unaccounted for have showed up to claim some of the property recovered from the ill-fated MV Templar that capsized in Lake Victoria on November 24.

A number of items including national IDs, driving permits, wallets, bags and ATM cards were recovered from the wreckage of the ill-fated MV Templar by divers and police asked owners to pick them.

Kampala Metropolitan Area police spokesperson, Luke Owoyesigyire has told the Nile Post that a number of survivors have secretly called the phone numbers put in place by police before showing up at Mukono police station to claim some of the property recovered from the waters.

“It is true they showed up and were picking their property from Mukono police station,”Owoyesigyire told this website on Tuesday morning.

Earlier reports had indicated that over 120 people were aboard the ill-fated boat that left KK beach in Ggaba for K-Palm beach but ended up capsizing at Mutima resort haven in Mukono district.

At the end of the seven day rescue mission that also saw the boat wreckage taken to the lake shores, 33 bodies had been recovered from the Lake Victoria waters whereas 27 people had been rescued.

An unspecified number of people remained unaccounted for at the end of the rescue mission but the recent development can shed light on what could have happened.

Earlier accounts by fishermen who were the first responders had indicated that many of the survivors had left Mutima for fear of being recognized as having been part of the revelers on the ill-fated boat.

“Two coasters and a taxi full of people who were saved from the water left this place,” Bernard Wanyama, one of the first responders and boasts of having saved a number of revelers from the boat told the Nile Post recently.

This could confirm reports by other sources including police officers who participated in the operation that indicated that many survivors including prominent businessmen in Kampala feared to show up for fear of stigma especially from the public.

Recently, one of the survivors who had earlier been reported missing by her family showed up after days of hiding at a friend’s home.

Eron Ndagire, a student at Kampala International University called her family five days after the incident apologizing for hiding at a friend’ home in Kawempe following the incident.

The Kampala Metropolitan police publicist said that a number of items including four vehicles are still unclaimed by owners and are parked at Ggaba police station.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reader's Comments

RELATED ARTICLES

LATEST STORIES

NRM plans online registration for diaspora
news By Samuel Muhimba
10 minutes ago
NRM plans online registration for diaspora
No extension of register update, says Todwong
news By Lukia Nantaba
22 minutes ago
No extension of register update, says Todwong
Gen Mbadi tips CAR defence chief on building army
news By Samuel Muhimba
48 minutes ago
Gen Mbadi tips CAR defence chief on building army
UWA admits lack of due diligence in contracting gorilla permits firm
animal-conservation By Samuel Muhimba
53 minutes ago
UWA admits lack of due diligence in contracting gorilla permits firm