Zanzibar ferry capsizes

Rescuers scoured choppy waters for survivors Thursday after a ferry sank off the Tanzanian island of Zanzibar, killing at least 25 people and leaving dozens missing, authorities said. The vessel with about 290 people aboard -- including 31 children -- capsized near Zanzibar on Wednesday, according to Hamad Masoud, the island's minister of communication. About 145 people have been found alive, and rescue operations are ongoing, he said.

Authorities suspended rescue operations at nightfall and intensified efforts at dawn using army helicopters, government troops and boats.

Rough waves complicated rescue efforts, but authorities are determined to save more people, the minister said.

Ferries in the region often carry passengers not included in the manifest, making it hard to pinpoint the exact number of people aboard.

The ferry was traveling between the Tanzanian commercial capital of Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar, the Indian Ocean archipelago popular with tourists for its pristine sandy beaches.

Zanzibar is a semi-autonomous part of Tanzania.

The capsizing Wednesday is the latest such disaster in the popular tourist destination of Zanzibar in less than a year.

More than 200 people perished when a crowded ferry traveling between two islands of Zanzibar sank in September. In that incident, the ferry had a capacity of about 600 passengers, but was carrying more than 1,000 people.

Tanzanian authorities charged five men with negligence in the September capsizing, including the owner of the ferry and the captain.