Zimbabwe Lake Kariba ferry disaster death toll rises to 84 as search continues

The accident

An overloaded passenger ferry capsized on Lake Kariba in Zimbabwe on Tuesday, August 11, after encountering strong waves. The vessel was traveling from the town of Kariba to rural and fishing communities in the country's northwest, where roads are damaged and public transportation is scarce. The ferry was operated by the Rural Infrastructure Development Agency (RIDA), a government agency. Lake Kariba, created by damming the Zambezi River in the late 1950s and early 1960s, is the world's largest human-made lake by volume and stretches more than 200 kilometers. Zimbabwe and Zambia share the lake, with their border running through its middle.

Rising death toll

The death toll has climbed steadily since the capsizing. The initial count of 44 confirmed dead grew to 72 by Saturday after 25 bodies were recovered that day. On Sunday, police reported 80 dead after eight more bodies were found, according to a post on X. Later the same day, police updated the toll to 84 after four additional bodies were recovered in the afternoon. Zimbabwe's disaster management agency said 77 people were rescued as of Wednesday. With 84 dead and 77 rescued, the vessel may have carried at least 161 people.

Initial count44

Saturday Aug 1572

Sunday morning80

Sunday afternoon84

Initial count

44 dead

Saturday Aug 15

72 dead

Sunday morning

80 dead

Sunday afternoon

84 dead

Data from the article text

Overcrowding and warnings

The ferry was authorized to carry 90 passengers, but multiple sources indicate it was carrying far more. Civil protection authorities said 114 adults and five crew members were on board, based on the number of tickets sold, with an indeterminate number of children who did not require tickets. Other reports cited 119 adults plus children. Crew member Anyway Chambati, who was in charge of ticketing and survived the disaster, told state broadcaster ZBC News he counted 153 people on board, including crew and infants. The Independent noted that latest official figures suggest the number could be even higher.

Witnesses told ZBC News that passengers had urged the captain to turn back as waves grew stronger, but were dismissed. Zimbabwe's Herald newspaper reported that the captain was among the dead. A survivor, Itayi Marumisa from the village of Mola, told AFP journalists on Thursday that passengers had expressed concerns to the captain about the rough waters and the vessel's evident overcrowding.

“I have been taking this ferry for more than five years, but this time it was different. There were so many diesel drums, foodstuffs and other baggage on board.”

Victims and recovery

Among the dead are 18 children, with the youngest just 1 year old. Sixteen of the victims were aged 10 or younger, according to police. Most passengers were villagers and fish traders living around Lake Kariba, many from the Chalala fishing camp. Chambati said some people survived by standing on the capsized hull.

“Before it went down, passengers were screaming at us that the boat was flooding, water was pouring into the engine room and goods were spilling out.”

When water surged into the vessel, panicked travelers scrambled for life jackets beneath their seats, witnesses said. Police said search efforts are still underway to recover victims identified as missing. Officers participating in the recovery operations expressed confidence that all bodies would eventually surface, while an indeterminate number of people remain unaccounted for.