Hundreds missing after ferry capsizes near Zanzibar

By the CNN Wire Staff

• NEW: At least 259 people are rescued
• NEW: At least 40 bodies are found, an official says
• NEW: The ferry's manifest shows it was headed from the islands of Zanzibar to Pemba
• Zanzibar is a semi-autonomous part of Tanzania

(CNN) -- Hundreds are missing after a ferry carrying more than 600 people capsized early Saturday near the coast of Zanzibar, authorities said.
At least 259 people have been rescued and 40 bodies found, said Mohamed Aboud, the Zanzibar state minister.
Divers and rescue crews are at the scene scouring the waters for survivors, he told CNN by phone from the site.
The ferry's manifest shows it was headed from the islands of Zanzibar to Pemba with more than 600 passengers onboard.
It was too early to tell what caused the accident, the state minister said.
No more information was immediately available.
Pemba and Zanzibar are the two main islands on the Zanzibar archipelago.
The two islands on the Indian Ocean are popular among tourists for their pristine sandy beaches.

Zanzibar is a semi-autonomous part of Tanzania

CNN