The death toll from Zimbabwe Lake Kariba ferry disaster has risen to 84 as rescue teams recovered 12 additional bodies, making it the country deadliest maritime catastrophe in decades. The overloaded passenger ferry, operated by the Rural Infrastructure Development Agency (RIDA), capsized in choppy waters on August 12 while carrying well beyond its certified capacity.
Ferry Was Packed With 157 People
Officials confirmed the vessel was authorized to carry 90 passengers but was packed with at least 114 adults, five crew members, and an unknown number of children when it overturned on the vast reservoir straddling Zimbabwe and Zambia. Seventy-seven people were pulled from the water alive, but the confirmed death toll climbed steadily from 15 on the first day to 84 by the weekend as search teams combed the deep waters of Lake Kariba.
Most passengers were villagers and fish traders from surrounding communities who relied on the ferry as a vital transport link to the town of Kariba, nearly 280 kilometers northwest of Harare. Survivors described a terrifying ordeal, saying they had pleaded with the ferry driver to turn back after the vessel began taking on water roughly 30 minutes after departure.
Survivors Describe Chaos
At an emotional public memorial service in Kariba, survivor Chance Siyamavhu recounted the moment the ferry capsized: people scrambled for life jackets but most did not know how to use them. Hundreds of mourners gathered at the district hospital to identify the bodies of their relatives.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa declared a state of disaster following the tragedy. Lake Kariba, the world largest man-made reservoir by volume, is generally considered safe for navigation, making the scale of this disaster particularly shocking. Investigations into the cause are ongoing, with overloading identified as the primary factor.
The accident has raised urgent questions about government oversight of public transport and maritime safety in Zimbabwe. RIDA manages rural infrastructure projects across the country and operated the ferry service on the lake. The disaster ranks among the worst ferry accidents on the African continent in recent years, and authorities fear more bodies may still be recovered from the reservoir depths.
Sources: AP News; Al Jazeera; France24; The Guardian; PBS NewsHour
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