More than 120 passengers were rescued at the Mbita terminal in Homa Bay County after being stranded in Lake Victoria for nearly five hours on Tuesday.
This is after the ferry ramp operated under Mbita Ferry Services which was transporting passengers from Mbita town to Lwanda Kotieno in Siaya County developed a mechanical breakdown.
The ramp refused to fold up after the vessel took off about some 20 meters away from the terminal in Lake Victoria sending panic to the passengers.
The passengers remained stranded in the lake as the water vessel operating officials strived to rectify the situation.
The ferry also carried at least 13 motor vehicles.
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Confirming the incident, Mbita Ferry Services manager Bernard Siro said they realized that the ramp developed a mechanical breakdown as they were taking off from the terminal.
“One of the chains used for controlling the ramp broke down and could not allow it to fold up,” Siro said.
After unsuccessful attempts to rectify the fault, Siro says they were forced to bring another ferry to enable the passengers to continue their journey.
“I can confirm that all the passengers were rescued, motor vehicles removed and taken to another ferry before we proceeded with their journey."
“The ill-fated ferry was dragged to the terminal after all rescue operations were complete. There was no casualty during the incident and all passengers travelled safely afterwards,” he said.
He announced that the ferry with the faulty ramp will not be allowed to operate until it is rectified.
