Death Toll Rises to 44 After Ferry Capsizes on Zimbabwe’s Lake Kariba
Zimbabwean police said at least 44 people died after an overloaded ferry capsized on Lake Kariba, while rescuers continued searching amid uncertainty over how many passengers were aboard.
In short
- Zimbabwean police said at least 44 people died after an overloaded ferry capsized on Lake Kariba, while rescuers continued searching amid uncertainty over how many passengers were aboard.
At least 44 people were confirmed dead on Wednesday, August 12, after an overcrowded ferry capsized a day earlier on Lake Kariba in Zimbabwe, according to police updates reported by The Guardian.
Zimbabwe’s Civil Protection Unit said the vessel had a stated capacity of 90 people but was carrying at least 114 adult passengers, five crew members and an unknown number of children. A crew member separately told national broadcaster ZBC that 153 people were aboard, leaving uncertainty over the total passenger count.
The ferry overturned after encountering large waves on Tuesday, August 11. One passenger said it began taking on water about 30 minutes after leaving the lakeside town of Kariba for islands and fishing settlements.
Police raised the confirmed toll twice on Wednesday afternoon, first to 38 and then to 44. A specialised underwater team was deployed as search-and-rescue work continued. Earlier official figures had listed 27 people as missing.
Lake Kariba stretches along the Zimbabwe-Zambia border and is the world’s largest human-made lake by volume. Boat accidents have occurred there before, including a 2014 capsizing on the Zambian side that killed 26 people, most of them children.
Authorities had not issued a final passenger manifest or a completed accounting of survivors by the time of the latest update.
