At least seven people are missing after their boat carrying construction material capsized on the route from the northern Tanzanian port of Tanga to Pemba Island on Tuesday morning.

The boat is yet to be located but the rescue mission is still on-going.

Chief inspector of marine vessels at Tanga port authority, Christopher Mlelwa, said he suspects the boat had a technical fault:

The weather in the ocean is not good at the moment. Most vessels are travelling with caution.

But unconfirmed reports says the boat had some technical problem. We haven’t confirmed this because we haven’t located the boat yet, but if the engine failed, coupled with bad weather, then the boat could have easily sank.”

Most of the boats operating along the Tanzanian coast are often in poor conditions and are overloaded. They also lack basic safety and communication equipment.

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