The death toll from Zimbabwe’s Lake Kariba ferry disaster has risen to 72 after authorities recovered 26 more bodies over the weekend, making it one of the country’s deadliest maritime incidents in recent memory.
Zimbabwe police confirmed the grim update in a statement on Saturday, saying 22 bodies were pulled from the water earlier in the day, pushing the toll to 68. Three more bodies were recovered late on August 15, bringing the final count to 72. Eighteen children were among the victims.
The overloaded passenger ferry, operated by the government’s Rural Infrastructure Development Agency (RIDA), capsized in choppy waters on Tuesday while traveling from the town of Kariba to rural and fishing communities in the country’s northwest. The vessel was authorized to carry 90 passengers but was packed with 114 adults, five crew members, and an unspecified number of children.
Survivors Describe Panic as Vessel Took on Water
An emotional public memorial service was held in the town of Kariba, roughly 280 kilometers northwest of the capital Harare, on Thursday before burials began. Survivors recounted harrowing moments as the ferry began taking on water shortly after departure.
Thank God that a wave pushed the sinking vessel and we managed to climb on top. When the boat capsized, most of the people scrambled to get the life jackets but most of them did not even know how to use them. Most people could not make it.
Chance Siyamavhu, a 45-year-old survivor, told mourners at the memorial that passengers had pleaded with the ferry driver to turn back as conditions worsened.
Aging Fleet and Scarce Alternatives
The ferry was traveling a route where roads are damaged and public transportation is scarce, forcing communities around the vast lake to rely on aging government vessels. Lake Kariba, straddling the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia, is the world’s largest man-made lake by volume, stretching more than 200 kilometers and up to 40 kilometers wide in places.
The disaster has intensified scrutiny of Zimbabwe’s infrastructure safety standards and the state of rural transportation networks. Most of the passengers were villagers and fish traders who depended on the ferry service as their primary means of transport across the lake.
Police said identification of the recovered bodies is still in progress as the search operation continues. The government has not yet announced a formal investigation into the causes of the capsizing.
Sources: AFP via Manila Times; AP via PBS NewsHour; Express Tribune; New Indian Express; Africanews
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