An overloaded ferry tragically capsized in Zimbabwe’s Lake Kariba, resulting in the loss of at least 15 lives and leaving 27 individuals still unaccounted for, according to the national disaster management agency. The agency reported that 77 individuals were successfully rescued and transported to an island within the lake.
Zimbabwe’s Civil Protection Unit indicated that based on ticket sales records, there were 114 adult passengers onboard, with a possibility of an undisclosed number of children below ticketing age who were not included in the count. Additionally, the statement highlighted the presence of five crew members on the ferry, which has a designated capacity of 90 individuals.
Mutsa Murombedzi, a local Member of Parliament, shared a video showing individuals on the shore signaling to the aging ferry as it embarked on its journey. The ferry served as a crucial mode of transportation for rural communities traveling along the lake to the town of Kariba. Concerns were expressed in the video regarding the ferry’s ability to withstand the rough waves on the lake.
Zimbabwean authorities initiated a rescue mission following the incident, with the police and state broadcaster ZBC deploying resources to the scene. Video footage captured speedboats approaching the overturned vessel on the lake, accompanied by a hovering helicopter.
Lake Kariba, situated in southern Africa and serving as a boundary between Zimbabwe and Zambia, stands as the largest man-made lake globally in terms of volume. The lake was formed in the late 1950s and early 1960s through the construction of a dam wall across the Zambezi River, leading to the gradual filling of a valley and the creation of an expansive water body spanning over 200 kilometers in length and up to 40 kilometers in width at certain points. The official border between Zimbabwe and Zambia traverses the center of Lake Kariba.