HARARE: Search and rescue efforts continued on Wednesday after a government passenger ferry overturned on Zimbabwe’s Lake Kariba, leaving at least 44 people dead, authorities said.
The ferry capsized in rough weather on Tuesday. A witness said bodies could be seen in the water as rescuers attempted to reach the completely overturned vessel.
A survivor told local media that passengers had urged the ferry’s driver to turn back because of the worsening weather, but their requests were ignored.
Zimbabwe’s Civil Protection Unit said 77 people had been rescued and 15 bodies recovered from the Rural Infrastructure Development Agency (RIDA) ferry.
The Zimbabwe Republic Police later revised the death toll, stating on X: “The ZRP informs the public that the death toll in the Kariba RIDA boat accident is now 44.”
The incident is among the deadliest passenger boat disasters recorded on Lake Kariba, which lies along the Zimbabwe-Zambia border more than 300 kilometres northeast of Harare.
The ferry normally carries passengers between Kariba town and islands and fishing communities scattered around the vast reservoir. It serves as an important transport connection for villagers and traders travelling from remote areas to Kariba’s commercial centre.
A survivor told Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation that passengers had repeatedly asked the driver to return because of the rough conditions, but he refused. She also suggested that the vessel may have been damaged as it began taking on water.
“We went ahead with some water in the boat while the waves were also getting stronger and rocking the boat. We pleaded with him to phone the captain but he said to us we were not in a position to tell him what to do,” she said.
