Fifteen dead, 27 missing as ferry capsizes in Zimbabwe
More than 114 passengers were onboard the ferry when it tipped. But only 77 were rescued and taken to shore.
At least 15 people lost their lives and 27 remain missing after an overloaded ferry capsized on Zimbabwe's Lake Kariba, according to the national disaster management agency. Seventy-seven survivors were rescued and taken to an island on the lake; however, the Civil Protection Unit could only confirm 114 adult passengers and five crew members, based on ticket sales.
The possibility of children below the ticketing age being on board, but not accounted for, remains uncertain. The ferry, with a capacity of 90 people, was confirmed to have exceeded its limit. Local MP Mutsa Murombedzi shared a video of people onshore waving off the aging ferry at the beginning of its journey, expressing concerns about the ferry's ability to endure the strong waves on the lake.
Zimbabwean police announced a rescue operation, but no further information was provided. Lake Kariba, located in southern Africa, serves as a border between Zimbabwe and Zambia. As the world's largest man-made lake by volume, it was created in the late 1950s and early 1960s through the construction of a dam wall that blocked the Zambezi River, resulting in a valley gradually filling with water to form a 200km-long lake, up to 40km wide in certain areas.
Written by urgent.news from SBS News's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
