NAIROBI - More than 40 people died on Thursday when a ferry capsized in the south of Victoria, Africa’s largest lake, a Tanzanian government spokesman said.

“According to reports that President John Magufuli has just received from the authorities in Mwanza, the toll now stands at more than 40 dead,” Gerson Msigwa, the president’s spokesman said on state television.

The MV Nyerere ferry sank with an unknown number of passengers on Thursday afternoon near Ukara Island, according to Tanzania’s Electrical, Mechanical and Services Agency.

“There were more than a hundred passengers on board when the ferry sank, it is feared that a significant number have lost their lives,” said George Nyamaha, the head of Ukerewe district council.

The ferry was also carrying cargo when it capsized close to the dock. The cause of the accident was not immediately clear, but overloading is frequently found to blame.

BBC adds: A local official told the BBC five people have died and 102 have been rescued, but another said that the vessel was overloaded with more than 400 people on board.

The MV Nyerere ferry overturned near the shore between the islands of Ukora and Bugolora. Locals have joined with emergency teams in rescue efforts.

The Tanzanian government has confirmed the ferry capsized but exact figures for those on board are yet to be confirmed.

“We pray to God to give us hope in such an accident,” Regional Commissioner Adam Malima told reporters. “We pray to God to give us hope that there has not been a high death toll.”

Accidents are common on Africa’s largest lake, Victoria, where boats often depart overcrowded. More than 800 people died in 1996 when the MV Bukoba capsized. It was one of the worst maritime disasters of the last century.