The death toll from a ferry capsizing on Lake Kariba in Zimbabwe has risen to 44, after an overloaded vessel carrying well beyond its capacity went down on Tuesday, leaving survivors describing desperate pleas to the captain to turn back.
The ferry, which had a legal capacity of 90 passengers and five crew members, was carrying an estimated 120 people, including 12 children, when it capsized on the vast reservoir straddling the Zimbabwe-Zambia border. Zimbabwe’s national disaster management agency said 77 people were rescued from the water.
Survivors Plead With Captain to Turn Back
Survivors recounted that multiple passengers begged the captain to abort the journey and return to shore before the vessel capsized, but their warnings went unheeded. The ferry was travelling across Lake Kariba, one of the largest artificial lakes in the world, when it went down in what authorities are treating as a case of gross overloading.
The death toll climbed steadily in the days following the disaster, rising from an initial count of 15 to 37 and then to 44 as recovery teams pulled additional bodies from the lake. The identities of many victims have not yet been publicly released.
Questions Over Safety Enforcement
The disaster has reignited questions about maritime safety enforcement on Lake Kariba, a critical transport route for communities living around the reservoir. Overloaded vessels have long been a concern on the lake, where formal infrastructure is limited and informal ferry operators frequently exceed passenger limits.
Zimbabwean authorities have launched an investigation into the circumstances of the capsizing, including whether the vessel was properly licensed and whether safety inspections were conducted before departure. Lake Kariba, created by the Kariba Dam on the Zambezi River, stretches approximately 223 kilometres long and 40 kilometres at its widest point.
The tragedy is one of the deadliest maritime disasters in Zimbabwe in recent years and adds to a series of transport safety incidents across southern Africa. The lake, while a major source of hydroelectric power and fishing for both Zimbabwe and Zambia, remains poorly regulated for passenger transport in many areas.
Sources: AP News; Sky News; BBC; Greenwich Time
discussion