A ferry has capsized in Zimbabwe's Lake Kariba, leaving 15 people dead and 27 others missing. The country's national disaster management agency said 77 people were rescued after the incident on Tuesday, August 11, and made it to a small island on the lake, with boats now being dispatched to bring the survivors back.
Boat capacity and passenger numbers
The boat has a carrying capacity of 90 people. Zimbabwe's Civil Protection Unit said it could only confirm through registered ticket sales that there were 114 adult passengers onboard, with five crew members. There could have been an unknown number of children below ticketing age who were not accounted for.
Rescue operations and wildlife risks
An underwater team for search and rescue operations was deployed on the lake, which forms part of the border between Zimbabwe and neighbouring Zambia. Lake Kariba is the largest man-made lake in the world by volume. It was created by building a dam wall to block the Zambezi River, resulting in a valley slowly filling with water to form a huge lake. The lake is teeming with Nile crocodiles and hippopotamuses.
Local impact and concerns
Mutsa Murombedzi, a local member of Parliament, said rural communities use the boat to travel along the lake to the town of Kariba, a journey that usually takes about five hours. Ms Murombedzi posted a video of what she said were people on shore waving off what appeared to be the ageing ferry at the start of its journey. Some people standing on the shore were worried the ferry would not survive strong waves on the lake, according to the video.
