'Some 260 passengers have so far been rescued ... we have recovered several bodies but I can't give you the exact death toll at the moment because the situation is very volatile,' he said.
Passengers described the terrifying moment when they realized something had gone wrong. People began to scream as the boat tilted to one side and water rushed in.
"I realized something strange on the movement of the ship. It was like zigzag or dizziness," said 15-year-old Yahya Hussein, who survived by clinging to a plank of wood with three others.
"After I noticed that I jumped to the rear side of ship and few minutes later the ship went lopsided."
Hussein said there had been many children aboard the ship. After the ship began to list, water rushed through the main cabin and stopped the engines, said Mwita Massoud, another survivor.
Those lucky enough to find something to cling to floated in the dark waters for at least three hours until the strong currents began to wash them up on the white sandy shores of Zanzibar.
Throughout the day, police waded through the clear waters to shore, carrying bodies on stretchers, wrapped in brightly colored cloth and blankets.
The smallest bundles - the children - they carried in their arms. Tourists on the popular island helped survivors and local charities provided blankets and tea.
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