22 more bodies recovered in Zimbabwe ferry disaster, bringing death toll to 68, police say

Zimbabwe police report that 22 more bodies have been recovered from the capsized ferry on Lake Kariba, raising the death toll to 68, according to a Aug. 15, 2026 Associated Press report. Among the nearly 70 victims were 18 children, including those as young as 1 year old, police confirmed on Saturday.

The accident occurred on Tuesday when the aging ferry, overloaded with passengers and traveling from Kariba town to rural and fishing communities in the northwest of the country, capsized in strong waves. Authorities have not disclosed the exact number of people on board or the remaining missing, although estimates suggest up to 153 passengers, while the ferry's capacity is officially 90.

Zimbabwe's disaster management agency reported that 77 people were rescued from the disaster. Initially, officials were unsure of the number of children aboard, as children under ticketing age were not counted in passenger estimates. However, a subsequent police list revealed that 16 of the child victims were aged 10 or younger, with the youngest being just 1 year old.

Lake Kariba, the world's largest human-made lake by volume, was created by damming the Zambezi River in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Stretching over 200 kilometers (124 miles) and up to 40 kilometers (25 miles) wide, the lake is shared by Zimbabwe and Zambia, with their border running through its middle.