At Least 44 Dead As Ferry Capsizes On Zimbabwe’s Lake Kariba

At least 44 people have died after a ferry capsized on Lake Kariba in Zimbabwe on Tuesday, according to police, with search and rescue efforts still underway.

The vessel, which had an official capacity of 90 passengers and five crew members, was reportedly carrying as many as 120 people, including 12 children, at the time of the incident. Authorities say it was struck by a powerful wave that caused it to overturn, with footage circulating online showing its hull floating upside down on the water.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa has declared a state of disaster as rescue operations intensify. So far, 77 people have been pulled from the lake alive, while the death toll has climbed sharply from an initial count of 15 to 44 confirmed bodies retrieved.

Lake Kariba, one of the world’s largest man-made reservoirs, sits along the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia and plays a key role in transport, fishing and hydroelectric power generation for both nations.

Questions are mounting over the true number of passengers on board. Local lawmaker Mutsa Murombedzi shared footage on X purportedly showing the vessel departing, noting that residents were making the roughly five-hour crossing to Kariba town. She called for officials to release accurate passenger figures, describing the situation as raising serious concerns that demand honest answers.

Zimbabwe’s Civil Protection Unit said ticket sales data pointed to 114 adult passengers aboard, though an unspecified number of children too young to require tickets may have also been on the ferry.

Local government minister Daniel Garwe confirmed that the president’s disaster declaration was intended to ensure all available resources could be deployed for the rescue effort, including an army boat squadron, a police sub-aqua unit and a privately chartered helicopter. He extended condolences on behalf of the government to the families of those who lost their lives in the tragedy.