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Lake Kariba capsizes
A ferry capsized on Lake Kariba in Zimbabwe on Tuesday after it was hit by strong waves and overturned, and Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa declared the incident a state of disaster as the death toll rose to 44.
“The death toll from a ferry accident in Zimbabwe rose to 44 on Wednesday as President Emmerson Mnangagwa declared the incident a state of disaster.”
Police said the vessel sank on Lake Kariba after being hit by a strong wave and overturned, and they said the boat was built to carry 90 passengers but more than 120 people may have been aboard as it crossed the lake bordering Zambia.
The Anadolu Ajansı report said the passengers included 12 children, while Sky News said officials had previously recorded 15 deaths and then raised the figure to 37 earlier on Wednesday.
Sky News also quoted a surviving crew member, Anyway Chambati, saying, "Some of us survived by standing on top of the capsized hull."
Search and rescue operations intensified as Zimbabwe’s national disaster management agency said 77 people had been rescued.
Pleading, rescue, confusion
Survivors told ZBC News that passengers pleaded with the captain to turn back as waves grew stronger, and AP reported that the captain was among the dead.
AP quoted a woman saying, "We argued with him right at the harbor. We told him the waves were too dangerous," as she described the moment the ferry was already in trouble.
The New York Times said the ferry was run by the Rural Infrastructure Development Agency and that the official capacity was 90 passengers excluding crew, while police said initial indications suggested about 120 passengers when it overturned.
The New York Times also said the search for missing people continued through Wednesday and would resume on Thursday, while the number of people on board remained unclear.
Police on X said bodies had been retrieved from the lake that forms part of the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia, but they did not update how many people were injured or missing.
Aftermath and what’s at risk
With the state of disaster declared, Zimbabwe’s government moved to mobilize resources for search, rescue, recovery, and humanitarian support as the Civil Protection Unit coordinated a multi-agency response.
“Local Government and Public Works Minister Daniel Garwe said the declaration enables the government to mobilize extraordinary measures and resources”
Xinhua reported that Local Government and Public Works Minister Daniel Garwe said the declaration enables the government to mobilize "extraordinary measures and resources" to assist and protect persons affected or likely to be affected by the disaster.
Al Jazeera said the Rural Infrastructure Development Agency-operated ferry capsized after being struck by strong waves near Long Island while traveling from the lakeside town of Kariba towards Chalala, and it said the CPU said the boat was carrying at least 114 adult passengers and five crew members based on registered ticket sales.
Al Jazeera also said an unknown number of children below ticketing age were believed to be aboard, complicating efforts to establish the total number of people on the vessel.
As search and rescue continued, the CPU said overnight that at least 77 people were rescued, and Al Jazeera described a multi-agency response involving the Zimbabwe Republic Police Sub-Aqua Unit and the Zimbabwe National Army Boat Squadron.
