Nine Killed, Two Missing as Raging Storms sweep 500 fishermen on Lake Rukwa in Southern Tanzania

Nine people have been confirmed dead and two still missing as massive cyclone driven storms his 500 fishermen on Lake Rukwa.

Bodies of ​the Nine fishermen whose boat was struck by a storm in Lake Rukwa, South of Tanzania ​and previously reported missing, have been fished from the waters as two other people reported to be still missing.

Almost half of Lake Rukwa lies within the Uwanda Game Reserve in Rukwa, Songwe and Katavi Regions.

A cyclone which built up on Lake Rukwa is reported to have caused storms that hit several boats being used by local fishermen in the area.

More than 550 people, mostly fishermen were affected, after the raging waters hit their vessels, but majority were rescued in time by their colleagues.

The victims of the Lake Cyclone disaster are mostly residents of Nankanga Village in the Sumbawanga District of Rukwa Region, Southern Tanzania.

The Sumbawanga District Commissioner, Nyakia Chirukile said bodies of the deceased have already been identified by relatives and it was now left for them to undertake burial processes.

However ten people were still missing after a day of extensive work by search teams, but by late Saturday evening eight dead bodies were found floating on water in various parts of the Endorheic Lake.

Two people, both fishermen are still missing but judging from the latest developments, friends and relatives fear them dead.

This is the first serious disaster to affect fishing villages around Lake Rukwa in Tanzania.

An alkaline water body, covering some 5,760 square kilometres, Lake Rukwa lies in the middle of Lake Tanganyika and Lake Malawi.

The Lake is perched at an elevation of about 800 metres above sea level in a parallel branch of the rift system.