Tragedy in Zimbabwe as Boat Mishap Leaves 15 Dead

A boat carrying dozens of people capsized on Lake Kariba in Zimbabwe on Tuesday, with rescue operations continuing, officials have said.

The southern African country’s national disaster management agency said 77 people had been rescued.

Ninety passengers and five crew were onboard the vessel when it capsized, but it may have been overloaded, with other reports pointing to a higher number based on the registered ticket sales. Police said.

The vessel was hit by a strong wave and overturned, police added. Footage shared online appears to show the hull floating in the water.

Lake Kariba, which straddles the border with Zambia, is one of the world’s largest man-made reservoirs, supporting transport and fishing and providing vital hydroelectric power to both countries.

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The Zimbabwe Civil Protection Unit, CPU, said that registered ticket sales showed 114 adults were on the vessel. There could also have been an unknown number of children below ticketing age, it added.

Mutsa Murombedzi, a local member of parliament, posted a video on X of what she said was the boat at the start of the journey, adding that residents had been using it to travel across the lake to Kariba town, a journey that takes about five hours.
“We have very hard questions that require honest answers. The officials must release the correct number of people who were onboard,” she wrote.

The CPU said that 77 passengers had so far been rescued, and 15 bodies had been retrieved.

Two funeral parlours were collecting the bodies, it added

Those pulled out of the water by rescue teams, supported by an underwater search unit, have been taken to Long Island, a small island on the lake.