Search for Tanzania ferry disaster survivors goes on as toll tops 160

Rescuers search to retrieve bodies from the water after a ferry overturned off the shores of Ukerewe Island on Lake Victoria, Tanzania September 21, 2018. REUTERS/Stringer

UKARA, Tanzania (Reuters) -

Divers were on Saturday searching for survivors in the sunken wreck of an overcrowded ferry that capsized on Lake Victoria, Tanzania, as an official said the death toll from Thursday's disaster had risen to 161.

Rescuers search for bodies in the water after a ferry overturned off the shores of Ukerewe Island in Lake Victoria, Tanzania September 21, 2018. REUTERS/Stringer NO

Four navy divers went inside the MV Nyerere early on Saturday after hearing sounds that suggested signs of life.

Their initial search failed to locate survivors, while bodies continued to float to the surface around the vessel.

State broadcaster TBC said the number of dead stood at 161, citing John Mongella, commissioner for the Mwanza region where the disaster occurred.

Rescue workers examine the hull of a ferry that overturned in Lake Victoria, Tanzania September 21, 2018, in this still image taken from video. Reuters TV/via REUTERS

The ferry sank on Thursday evening just a few metres from the dock on Ukerewe, the lake's biggest island. Initial estimates suggested there were more than 300 people on board.

On Friday President John Magufuli ordered the arrest of those responsible for the sinking.

Rescue workers are seen at the scene where a ferry overturned in Lake Victoria, Tanzania September 21, 2018, in this still image taken from video. Reuters TV/via REUTERS

(Additional reporting by Nuzulack Dausen; Writing by Elias Biryabarema; editing by John Stonestreet)