Lake Kariba ferry tragedy leaves 15 dead, 27 missing after overloading

An overloaded ferry capsized on Lake Kariba in Zimbabwe, leaving at least 15 people dead and 27 missing. The disaster has intensified scrutiny of passenger numbers as rescuers search the border lake.

In Short

• Rescuers saved 77 survivors and moved them to a nearby island
• Ticket records showed 119 adults and crew aboard a 90-capacity vessel
• Officials fear unticketed children were travelling and remain unaccounted for

At least 15 people were killed and 27 were missing after an overloaded ferry capsized on Zimbabwe's Lake Kariba, the country's disaster management agency said on Tuesday. The agency said 77 people were rescued and taken to an island on the lake.

Zimbabwe's Civil Protection Unit said it could confirm, through ticket sales, that 114 adult passengers and five crew members were on board. It said there could also have been an unknown number of children below ticketing age who were on the ferry and had not been accounted for. The boat's carrying capacity was 90 people, the agency added.

Mutsa Murombedzi, a local member of Parliament, posted a video of what she said were people on the shore waving off what appeared to be the ageing ferry at the start of its journey. She said rural communities use the boat to travel along the lake to the town of Kariba.

According to the video, some people on the shore were also worried about whether the ferry would withstand strong waves on the lake. Earlier, Zimbabwe police said a rescue operation was under way but did not give further details.

Zimbabwean state broadcaster ZBC published video showing speedboats heading towards what appeared to be an overturned boat on the lake, while a helicopter hovered overhead. Lake Kariba, in southern Africa, forms part of the border between Zimbabwe and neighbouring Zambia. It is the world's largest man-made lake by volume and was created in the late 1950s and early 1960s by damming the Zambezi River, creating a lake that is now more than 200 km long and up to 40 km wide in places. The official border between the two countries runs through the middle of the lake.

The ferry disaster on Lake Kariba has left at least 15 people dead, many still missing and questions over the number of passengers on board, as rescue efforts continue.

With PTI Inputs

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