At least 15 people have died and 27 others remain missing after an overloaded ferry capsized on Zimbabwe’s Lake Kariba, triggering a major rescue operation, the country’s national disaster management agency said.
Zimbabwe’s Civil Protection Unit said 77 people were rescued after the ferry overturned and were taken to an island on the lake. Rescue teams and security personnel were continuing efforts to locate those still missing, while authorities were working to establish the exact number of people who were aboard the vessel when it capsized.
The disaster management agency said confirmed ticket records showed that at least 114 adult passengers were travelling on the ferry, in addition to five crew members. However, officials warned that the actual number of people on board could have been higher because children below the ticketing age may have been travelling without being included in the passenger records.
The ferry had a stated carrying capacity of 90 people, meaning the vessel was carrying significantly more passengers than its designated limit, according to the agency.
The circumstances surrounding the capsizing were not immediately clear. Authorities have not yet confirmed what caused the ferry to overturn or whether weather and strong waves played a role in the accident.
Mutsa Murombedzi, a local member of Parliament, shared a video showing what she said were passengers being waved off by people standing on the shore as the ageing ferry began its journey. According to Murombedzi, rural communities living around Lake Kariba rely on the vessel as an important means of transport to the town of Kariba.
The video also showed people on the shore expressing concerns about whether the ageing ferry would be able to withstand the strong waves on the lake. The comments have raised questions about the vessel’s condition, passenger capacity and safety arrangements, although authorities have yet to establish whether any of these factors contributed directly to the accident.
Zimbabwean police earlier confirmed that a rescue operation was under way but initially provided few details about the incident. State broadcaster ZBC later released footage showing speedboats moving towards what appeared to be an overturned vessel in the lake, while a helicopter hovered above the area. The deployment of boats and aerial support reflected the scale of the search operation as rescue teams attempted to locate survivors and recover those still missing.
The incident has raised concerns over passenger safety on Lake Kariba, particularly for communities that depend on water transport to travel between remote settlements and commercial centres.
Lake Kariba lies in southern Africa and forms part of the border between Zimbabwe and neighbouring Zambia. The lake is the largest man-made lake in the world by volume and is one of the region’s most significant water bodies.
It was created during the late 1950s and early 1960s following the construction of a dam wall across the Zambezi River. The project resulted in the gradual flooding of a vast valley, eventually creating the enormous lake that stretches for more than 200 kilometres and reaches widths of up to around 40 kilometres in some areas.
Zimbabwe and Zambia share Lake Kariba, with the official international border running through the middle of the lake. The water body supports fishing, tourism, transport and other economic activities for communities on both sides of the border.
The ferry accident is likely to prompt further scrutiny of safety standards for vessels operating on the lake, particularly regarding passenger limits and the condition of ageing boats.
Authorities are expected to continue the search for the 27 people reported missing while working to verify the total number of passengers who were aboard. Officials have also indicated that the final casualty figures could change if additional passengers are identified or if more survivors are located.
The cause of the capsizing and the circumstances that led to the vessel exceeding its declared passenger capacity are expected to form part of the authorities’ investigation.
