At Least 15 Dead, 27 Missing After Overcrowded Boat Capsizes on Lake Kariba, Zimbabwe

GOOBJOOG NEWS|HARARE: At least 15 people have died and 27 others remain missing after a passenger boat capsized on Lake Kariba in Zimbabwe, officials said.

The Zimbabwe Civil Protection Agency reported that the accident occurred on Tuesday when the vessel encountered strong waves while traveling between the northern town of Kariba and various islands and fishing camps on the lake.

Authorities said at least 77 people were rescued from the water. However, the boat was carrying significantly more passengers than its licensed capacity of 90 people.

While the exact number of passengers aboard has not been officially confirmed, Zimbabwean agencies stated that ticket records indicate at least 114 adult passengers and five crew members were on the vessel at the time of the incident.

National police confirmed that search and rescue operations are ongoing. State broadcaster ZBC aired footage showing speedboats racing toward the stricken vessel as a helicopter circled overhead to assist in the effort. An underwater search team has also been deployed to the lake to participate in the search for those still missing.

Maxton Kanhema, a witness who spoke to AFP, said the boat had departed in poor weather conditions. He added that a powerful wave likely struck the vessel, causing its engines to fail.

Lake Kariba, created by the construction of the Kariba Dam which dammed the Zambezi River in the late 1950s and early 1960s, stretches more than 200 kilometers in length and reaches widths of nearly 40 kilometers in some areas.

The tragedy has once again highlighted the lethal risks of combining overcrowded vessels, severe weather conditions, and water transport, as recovery efforts for the missing continue.