Three die in a fire aboard MV Chambo on Lake Nyasa

Three people died after the MV Chambo caught fire on Lake Nyasa in Tanzania's Ruvuma Region on Sunday 11 October 2026, The Citizen reported the same day. Nyasa District Commissioner Peresi Magiri said the Mozambique-registered passenger and cargo vessel was travelling from Tanzania to Mozambique with 10 tonnes of cargo and 44 passengers.

He said the passengers were four Malawians, 23 Mozambicans, 15 Tanzanians and two nationals of Lesotho. The three who died were a three-month-old girl from Mozambique, a Malawian woman, and a Tanzanian, Yuston Chatanda, of Njombe.

Magiri said the vessel departed at 4.30am and that the accident happened while it was still on the Tanzanian side. "The accident occurred while it was still on the Tanzanian side, with 44 passengers on board. Three people died, while the others were rescued. Firefighting operations are continuing under the Fire and Rescue Force," he said. He said the cause of the fire remained unknown, and that the first work had been rescue and extinguishing the blaze. The bodies were taken to Nangombo District Hospital in Nyasa.