44 dead after overcrowded ferry capsizes on Zimbabwe’s Lake Kariba

At least 44 people have died after an overcrowded ferry capsized on Lake Kariba in Zimbabwe, with rescue teams continuing to search the vast reservoir for survivors and bodies.

The ferry, operated by a government agency, overturned on Tuesday after encountering strong waves shortly after leaving the lakeside town of Kariba.

The vessel was officially designed to carry 90 people, but authorities said ticket records showed at least 114 adults had bought tickets.

The actual number aboard remains uncertain because children below the ticketing age may also have been travelling.

A surviving crew member told Zimbabwe’s state broadcaster that he counted as many as 153 people aboard, including crew members and children.

Survivors described scenes of panic before the vessel capsized, saying passengers repeatedly urged the captain to turn back as waves became increasingly dangerous.

According to accounts reported by the Associated Press, water began entering the engine room while luggage and other items were falling into the lake.

One survivor said passengers pleaded with the captain to abort the journey, but the ferry continued.

The captain was among those who died.

The disaster has raised serious questions over passenger safety and overcrowding.

Zimbabwe’s Civil Protection Unit said 77 people had initially been rescued, while the number of missing remained difficult to establish because not everyone aboard may have purchased a ticket.

A specialised underwater search team was also deployed as emergency crews continued operations.

The death toll rose rapidly as bodies were recovered.

Zimbabwean police initially reported 15 deaths before revising the figure to 38 and then 44 on Wednesday.

Authorities have not yet provided a definitive account of the total number of people missing or injured.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa declared the incident a state of disaster, allowing the government to mobilise additional resources for the emergency response and support for affected families.

Lake Kariba, which lies along the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia, is the world's largest man-made lake by volume.

It was created after the Zambezi River was dammed in the late 1950s and early 1960s and remains strategically important to both countries, particularly for hydroelectric power generation.

The lake stretches for more than 200 kilometres and in places reaches about 40 kilometres in width.

The tragedy is not the first fatal boating accident on Lake Kariba.

In 2014, 26 people, including 24 children, drowned on the Zambian side when a boat capsized.

On the Zimbabwean side, five people died in a 2021 incident, while another capsizing in 2023 left three people feared dead.

As relatives wait for news of loved ones, the immediate priority remains the search and rescue operation.

But the disaster is also likely to intensify scrutiny of overcrowding, vessel safety and enforcement of regulations on one of southern Africa’s most important inland waterways.