DAR ES SALAAM, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- At least 10 people died and 15 others were rescued after a boat ferrying mourners capsized on Tuesday evening in Tanzania's Zanzibar, an official said on Wednesday.
Richard Mchomvu, the South Pemba regional police commander, said the boat ferrying mourners from Chakechake to Panza Islet to attend a funeral for their relative capsized in the Indian Ocean at around 6 p.m. local time.
Mchomvu said rescue operations led by the special anti-smuggling unit and residents in the area, including fishermen, were hampered by sea waves and darkness.
Mchomvu said the cause of the capsizing of the boat was not yet established.
Tanzania's Zanzibar President Hussein Ali Mwinyi sent a condolence message to the bereaved families, saying he has been saddened by the deaths of 10 innocent citizens. ■