Zimbabwe ferry capsizing death toll climbs to 44

Officials said the ferry was authorised to carry no more than 90 passengers and five crewmembers. However, initial reports revealed that the vessel may have been transporting as many as 114 adult passengers and a still undetermined number of small children when the tragedy occurred.

The search and recovery effort is still ongoing. The effort also includes inspections of the partially submerged vessel’s onboard compartments.

Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa has since declared a state of disaster under Section 27(1) of the Civil Protection Act. This would then authorise the mobilisation of additional resources to aid in search and recovery operations.

Baird Maritime tracks global passenger vessel accidents in its comprehensive database, which can be accessed here.