Police in Zimbabwe have confirmed that 22 more bodies have been recovered following a boat accident on Lake Kariba, bringing the death toll to 68. The ferry capsized on Tuesday on the lake, which borders Zambia, amid strong winds, and an investigation has indicated that the vessel was overloaded.
Among the deceased are 18 children, according to Zimbabwean police, making this one of the deadliest maritime incidents in the country's history. Most of the passengers are believed to be villagers and fish traders residing around the lake.
Officials stated that the vessel was authorized to carry 90 passengers but was packed with 114 adults, five crew members, and an unspecified number of children. The tragedy has left the local community in mourning, with hundreds gathering at the district hospital in Kariba to identify their loved ones.
Lt Col Joseph Muchechesi, commander of the boat regiment involved in the search operation, said: “So far today we have managed to take 22 bodies. We are confident that we will manage to retrieve all the bodies.” The civil protection unit reported on Wednesday that 77 people had been rescued.
A public memorial service was held in Kariba, approximately 280 kilometers (175 miles) northwest of the capital Harare, on Thursday before burials began. Survivors recounted that they pleaded with the ferry driver to turn back as the vessel began taking on water shortly after departure.
Chance Siyamavhu, 45, told Agence France-Presse: “Thank God that a wave pushed the sinking vessel and we managed to climb on top. When the boat capsized, most of the people scrambled to get the lifejackets but most of them did not even know how to use them. Most people could not make it.”
Lake Kariba is the world's largest manmade lake by volume, stretching over 200 kilometers (124 miles) and up to 40 kilometers (25 miles) wide in places. It was created in the 1950s during British colonial rule when the Zambezi River was dammed, displacing about 57,000 people.
This incident echoes previous tragedies on the lake: in 2014, 26 people, including 24 children, drowned on the Zambian side when a boat transporting them to independence day celebrations capsized. On the Zimbabwean side, five passengers drowned in a 2021 incident.
Source: www.theguardian.com