Ugandan police: Lake Albert boat accident death toll rises to 107, dead mostly women

KAMPALA, Uganda – Ugandan police say the death toll from a boat accident on Lake Albert now stands at 107, a drastic rise from the figure of 19 dead given hours after the boat capsized on Saturday.

Charles Ssebambulidde, the police commander for Uganda's Albertine region, said Monday that rescue teams had pulled scores of bodies, mostly women, from the lake over the weekend.

He said police confirmed the boat had carried more than 150 passengers, most of them Congolese refugees, as well as their belongings. That boat, which is now in police custody, should only have carried 80 people without luggage, he said.

Boat accidents are common in Uganda, as transport providers take advantage of lax policing to load boats with more passengers than they can safely transport.