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Aga Khan community helps Zanzibar ferryboat victims
Monday, 19 September 2011 09:43
By The Citizen Reporter
Zanzibar. The Ismailia community in Tanzania has extended assistance totalling Sh40 million to survivors of the recent ferry disaster in Zanzibar.
The disaster struck at midnight of September 10, at Nungwi bay, a few kilometres from Zanzibar Municipality, when MV Spice Islander I, which was sailing to Pemba island from Zanzibar, capsized, drowning about 203 passengers.
The assistance was handed over to the second vice President, ambassador Seif Ali Iddi, by the Ismailia Community leader in the country, Mr Jehangir Bhaloo yesterday.
Handing over the aid, Mr Bhaloo noted that the Ismailia community in the country has been touched by the tragedy. He said the assistance should be directed to the victims who were affected by the tragedy and another part be used to strengthen the capacity of the Zanzibar disaster management fund. He extended their condolences to Zanzibar President, Dr Ali Mohamed Shein and the affected families, promising that the community would continue to assist the disaster victims. “To show how we have been touched, institutions operating under the Aga Khan, have decided to help,” he said.
The Aga Khan institutions which contributed the funds included Serena Hotel, Diamond Trust Bank Tanzania Limited, Jubilee Insurance Company, Mwananchi Communications Limited (MCL), Industrial Promotion Services, Aga Khan Health Service Tanzania and Air Uganda.
Speaking after receiving the assistance, ambassador Iddi said the government would make sure that the funds were put to good use as proposed by the Aga Khan institutions.
He said the government has already formed a commission which will investigate the incident so as to establish the cause of the disaster.
He promised that the report to be drawn by the commission would be made public. The commission was free to conduct its investigation without interference from any person or institution.
He said one lesson which the government has learnt from the disaster, has necessitated the improvement of the Marine Unit by training personnel and providing it with appropriate gear that would enable the unit to appropriately respond to similar disasters in future.
He said time had come for Zanzibar to have its own helicopters for rescue services and the government would continue to ask well-wishers to assist in this area as 99 per cent of Zanzibaris depend on sea transport.
Other leaders who accompanied Mr Bhaloo include the Aga Khan Development Network Liason Officer, Mr Navroz Lakhani, the chairman of Aga Khan Cultural Services in Zanzibar, Mr Mohammed Bhaloo and members of the committee, Mr Alnoor Jinah and Mr Alkarim Hirani.
Some institutions which have so far extended their assistance following the ferry disaster include Tanzania Telecommunication Limited (TTCL) which has donated Sh5 million, Coca Cola (Sh10 million) Tanzania Cigarette Company (TCC - Sh15 million) Tanzania Posts Corporation (TPC- Sh1.5 million) and Oil Com (Sh10 million).