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TANZANIA: 11 SCHOOL CHILDREN DIE IN SEA TRAGEDY February 9, 2006

Apunyu Bonny

(SomaliNet) Eleven school children have died after a huge wave capsized the boat they were playing in at a beach near their primary school in Zanzibar. ITN reported Wednesday.

Zanzibar Education Minister Harrun Ali Suleiman said it was a sad day for the semi-autonomous islands off mainland Tanzania and emphasized the need to boost safety. “ Am in consultation with the president to declare it a national disaster,” he said. The ages of the children were not immediately available as police officers continued the process of identification.

Zanzibar, a tourist haven of one million people, forged a union with Tanganyika in 1964 to create Tanzania while retaining its own parliament and president.