Kampala (CNN)
Eight bodies have been recovered and many passengers are missing after a boat carrying members of a local soccer club capsized on Lake Albert in Uganda, authorities said Monday.
Fishermen and a marine unit have rescued more than 30 people from the scene of Sunday’s accident, said Ugandan police spokesman Fred Enanga.
Players and fans were traveling to a match when the boat capsized during a thunderstorm just a few minutes after it left the dock in the district of Hoima, in western Uganda.
Rescuers were still searching for people Monday, according to police. Authorities said the death toll might rise as passengers were not wearing life jackets.
Fatal boat accidents are not uncommon in Uganda.
In 2016, at least 30 members of a football team and their fans who were having a party died after their boat capsized on Lake Albert, which borders Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Another 35 people died last year after a cruise boat capsized on Lake Victoria.
