Dozens of people are feared dead after an overloaded passenger boat capsized on the Nguse River in western Uganda, leaving families clinging to hope as rescue teams battle treacherous conditions in the fast-flowing waters.

Authorities say the wooden vessel was carrying between 35 and 40 people when it overturned during a night-time journey. With no passenger manifest, police and local leaders are relying on reports from survivors and relatives to estimate how many people were on board. Around eight passengers are believed to have swum to safety, but as many as 30 others remain unaccounted for.

On the riverbank, relatives have gathered in silence, watching as police and volunteer divers scour the muddy water. Some clutch photographs or scraps of clothing, hoping for news. Others sit in small groups, murmuring prayers as bodies are slowly recovered downstream.

Marine officer Sulaiman Karungi, part of the search operation, said early findings point to severe overloading. The boat was reportedly stacked with bags of charcoal in addition to passengers, leaving little freeboard and making it unstable in the current.

“If you see the boat and you are told that 40 people were on board, you cannot imagine it,” Karungi said, describing a vessel clearly not designed for such a heavy human and cargo load.

Divers and local fishermen resumed the search at first light, using ropes and small canoes to probe submerged sections of the river. The work is slow and dangerous, hampered by poor visibility, strong currents, and the risk of debris trapped beneath the surface.

Officials have opened an inquiry into the disaster, examining whether the boat was licensed, its seaworthiness, and why it was allowed to travel at night. Investigators are focusing on overloading, the condition of the vessel, and the lack of basic safety equipment such as life jackets.

Deadly accidents on Uganda’s lakes and rivers are frequent, particularly in rural areas where water transport is often the only link between communities. Many boats are old, poorly maintained, and routinely packed beyond capacity, despite repeated government pledges to tighten enforcement of safety regulations.

For now, the Nguse River remains the centre of a grim search, as families wait on the banks for the bodies of their loved ones to be found, and for answers as to why yet another preventable tragedy has unfolded on Uganda’s waterways.