Lake Kariba ferry capsizes, killing 44 in Zimbabwe
Credit: Mutsa Murombedzi/X
At least 44 people died after an overloaded ferry capsized on Zimbabwe’s Lake Kariba, with survivors saying passengers had repeatedly urged the captain to turn back as strong waves battered the vessel and water began flooding in.
The number of people on board on Tuesday remained unclear, with estimates going as high as 153, while authorities said the government agency-operated ferry had a capacity of 90, India Today reported.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa declared the incident a state of disaster to allow the government to mobilise “extraordinary measures and resources” to assist victims. Police said bodies had been retrieved from the lake, which forms part of the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia, but did not give updated figures on the injured or missing.
Anyway Chambati, one of the two surviving crew members, told state broadcaster ZBC News, “Some of us survived by standing on top of 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.” Chambati, who said he was in charge of ticketing, said he counted 153 people on board, including crew and infants, before the disaster.
Multiple witnesses told ZBC that passengers had urged the captain to turn back as the waves became dangerous, but were ignored. One woman said, “We argued with him right at the harbour. We told him the waves were too dangerous. A bag fell overboard before we had even left, and we pointed it out, but he refused to listen.” Passengers said bags, dishes and beer bottles began falling overboard within minutes of departure.
Another survivor told the broadcaster, “About 30 minutes in, we begged again to abort and return, more goods were falling, the wave was getting worse and water was gushing into one side of the boat, but (the captain) just said, ‘My boat has never sunk anyone.’ He even refused to call for help.” The woman said some people were left floating in the water and clutching sacks of goods while help did not arrive for nearly an hour. The state-run Herald newspaper reported that the captain was among those killed.
Zimbabwe’s disaster management agency said the ferry was carrying at least 114 adult passengers and five crew members, and that 77 people had been rescued. However, the actual number on board was unclear because the figures only covered those who bought tickets, and children below ticketing age may also have been travelling. State media reported that children were among the dead.
The ferry is used by people from rural communities around the lake to travel to the town of Kariba on the shore. On Tuesday, local member of Parliament Mutsa Murombedzi posted a video which she said showed people on shore waving at the ferry as it set off, with some expressing concern over whether the ageing vessel could handle the strong waves.
The disaster on Lake Kariba has left at least 44 people dead, with officials still trying to establish how many passengers were on the ferry and how many remain missing. Survivors’ accounts pointed to rough weather, water entering the vessel and repeated warnings to the captain before the ferry overturned.
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