DODOMA, Sept. 21 (CGTN) -- At least 42 people have drowned when a ferry sank on Thursday in Tanzania's Lake Victoria. Government officials fear the final death toll could be over 200, according to a senior local official.

Ukerewe District Commissioner Colonel Lucas Magembe said that the rescue mission to find survivors from the disaster had been halted until dawn on Friday with 42 people confirmed dead.

Initial estimates showed that the MV Nyerere was carrying more than 300 people onboard. It went down just a few meters from the dock in Ukerewe district, according to national ferry services operator TEMESA.

However, it was hard to establish the precise number of passengers on board since the person dispensing tickets also drowned and the machine recording the data lost.

The cause of the accident was not immediately clear, but overloading is frequently found to blame.