HARARE – Rescue teams in Zimbabwe continued searching Lake Kariba on Sunday for victims of a ferry disaster, as the confirmed death toll from last week’s capsizing climbed past 80.
The overloaded vessel went down on Tuesday after being battered by strong waves. Police said Sunday that 84 people had been confirmed dead, up from 72 a day earlier, after additional bodies were recovered. Zimbabwe’s disaster management agency said 77 passengers survived the tragedy.
Initial estimates suggested as many as 153 people may have been on board a ferry licensed to carry just 90. However, the newest official figures indicate the actual number of passengers could have been even higher.
Police said search operations were continuing as authorities worked to locate and recover those still listed as missing.
The aging ferry had been traveling from the town of Kariba toward remote fishing and rural communities in Zimbabwe’s northwest, an area where poor roads and limited public transport leave many residents dependent on lake travel.
The loss has been especially devastating for families: authorities said 18 children were among those killed, including a 1-year-old. Police said 16 of the victims were age 10 or younger.
Lake Kariba, formed after the Zambezi River was dammed in the late 1950s and early 1960s, is the world’s largest man-made lake by volume. It runs for more than 200 kilometers (124 miles) and reaches widths of up to 40 kilometers (25 miles) in some areas.
The vast lake is shared by Zimbabwe and Zambia, with the international border passing through its center.
