Survivor of Tanzanian ferry who was rescued two days after the tragedy

A survivor was found inside an overturned ferry in Tanzania two days after a capsize on Lake Victoria that has left more than 200 dead.

According to reports from BBC, the engineer, named locally as Alphonce Charahani, reportedly survived in an air pocket inside the MV Nyerere ferry, which capsized near Ukara island on its way from Bugorora on Thursday.

Divers reportedly resumed the search for survivors on Saturday after hearing knocking noises.

The survivor is said to be in a serious condition and was immediately rushed to a medical facility on Ukara island. It is thought the ship tipped when passengers moved over to one side. 

The engineer had locked himself in a small room inside the ship, and the divers pulled him out of the vessel. Mwanza regional commissioner John Mongella told reporters.

More than 40 people had been rescued from the ferry in the initial aftermath of the disaster.

Of the 209 confirmed dead, whose bodies had been recovered from the wreckage, 172 have been identified, the authorities have said.

Few details on his health have been released, but the authorities described him as being covered in oil when he was found. 

On Friday, Tanzania's President John Magufuli said he had ordered the arrest of all those who managed the ferry, and declared four days of national mourning.

Mr Magufuli reportedly said in a televised speech that "negligence has cost us so many lives", and said it seemed "clear that the ferry was overloaded". "The arrests have already begun," he said.

But the main opposition party, Chadema, criticised the government's response. "We have often raised concerns about the poor condition of this ferry, but the government turned a deaf ear," the party's deputy secretary general John Mnyika told AFP.

Families of victims gathered and prepared to claim their people, workers continued to haul the dead from the water while shoes were scattered ashore.

On Saturday officials said search efforts were ending to focus on identifying bodies.

The disaster highlights the issue of dangerous overcrowding on aging ferries in the region. Ferries in Tanzania are often overcrowded, with the lack of an accurate passenger manifest complicating rescue operations.

In 2011, about 200 people died when an overloaded vessel -- carrying more than 1,000 passengers despite an official capacity of 620 -- hit strong winds off the island of Zanzibar in the Indian Ocean.