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The Tanzanian government has declared three days of mourning after a ship carrying 290 passengers capsized in choppy waters Wednesday (July 18th) after it left Dar es Salaam en route to Zanzibar.

The MV Star Gates ferry capsized near Chumbe Island at around 1:50 pm, according to Mwinyihaji Makame Mwadini, minister for state in the president's office and chairman of the Revolutionary Council for the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar.

"We have sent rescuers and five boats to the scene to give a hand to other rescuers," he said. The navy and Red Cross are among the rescuers at the scene.

According to the passenger list, 290 passengers and crew were onboard, including more than 30 children and some tourists, AFP reported.

So far 38 bodies have been recovered, while 114 are still missing, officials say.

Ferries in the region often carry additional passengers not listed on the official manifest, so the number of people on board -- and the final body count -- may be higher.

Zanzibar President Ali Mohamed Shein said the three days of mourning start Thursday, with all flags raised at half-mast.

"This is a national tragedy and I declare three days of morning to console friends and relatives while we are doing everything possible to establish the truth," Shein said at a news conference.

Speaker of the National Assembly Anne Makinda adjourned parliament on Thursday, giving lawmakers time to participate in mourning and rescue operations.

Minister for Home Affairs Emmanuel Nchimbi tabled a motion to suspend the parliamentary session to debate his ministry's budget to allow time for parliamentarians from Zanzibar to join their families.

Nchimbi told Sabahi he sent Inspector General of Police Said Mwema to strengthen rescue operations in Zanzibar.

Acting Secretary to the Parliament John Joel told Sabahi his office chartered a plane from Dodoma to Zanzibar for Zanzibar parliamentarians.

The recovered bodies will be taken to Maisara Grounds in Zanzibar, which harboured other bodies when another ship, the Spice Islander, sank in September 2011, killing almost 200 people and leaving hundreds injured. More than 600 people survived that incident.

The MV Star Gates is the second ship owned by Sea Gull Sea Transport Ltd. to capsize, after MV Fatih went down at Malindi harbour in Zanzibar in May 2009, killing six people.

Relatives of the missing passengers gathered at the port of Dar es Salaam.

"As you see here, we are frustrated. We have not been shown the ship offices where our relatives bought tickets, the authority is not providing any information and we have no means to reach the scene," Salum Ahmad Salum told Sabahi in tears.

Minister for State in the Prime Minister's Office William Lukuvi said the office of the Dar es Salaam Regional Commissioner will be used as an information centre to update relatives of missing passengers and other residents of the city.

Aisha Mwinyikai Salum, who arrived from Zanzibar by boat on Wednesday, told Sabahi that the ocean was extremely choppy due to high winds, which she speculated could have caused accident.

Zanzibar police spokesman Mohamed Mhina also said the winds were a factor. "The weather was very bad, there were big waves and strong wind," he told AFP, adding that the conditions had forced rescue operations to halt overnight.

Usually about 12 boats shuttle from Dar es Salaam to Zanzibar daily, each boat making four trips across 39 nautical miles.