Egypt extended on Friday its "deepest condolences" to victims of a sunken ferry in Lake Victoria in Tanzania, a statement by Egyptian foreign ministry read.

At least 160 bodies have been retrieved after a ferry sank on Lake Victoria, Tanzania's top police official Simon Sirro said on Friday, and scores more were still feared missing as rescuers searched for survivors on the morning after the disaster, according to Reuters.

The foreign ministry stressed that the Egyptian government and people stand with the government and people of brotherly Tanzania in this tragedy.

The statement highlighted the strong and historical relations between Egypt and Tanzania, noting Tanzania's leading role at the African level.

The ferry MV Nyerere capsized on Thursday afternoon just a few meters from the dock on Ukerewe, the lake's biggest island, which is part of Tanzania; initial estimates suggested that the ferry was carrying more than 300 people, Reuters said.