Death toll rises to 84 from capsized ferry in Zimbabwe

Zimbabwean police have recovered more bodies after a ferry capsized on Lake Kariba, bringing the death toll to at least 84.

Zimbabwe’s national police service confirmed in a post on X on Sunday that four bodies had been found and that search efforts were still under way.

The accident is believed to be the deadliest of its kind in Zimbabwe. The overloaded passenger ferry capsized on Tuesday and was carrying as many as 153 people. Authorities said the ferry’s capacity was 90 people but have not confirmed how many people were on board.

The boat overturned during heavy winds near the Zambian border. It was travelling from the town of Kariba in the north of the country to rural and fishing communities in the country’s northwest.

Travel by water is common in northern Zimbabwe because of a lack of infrastructure, including limited public transport and poorly maintained roads.

Footage posted by local media online on Saturday shows hundreds of people waiting outside the local hospital to identify loved ones who had died.

At least 18 children lost their lives in the accident.

Responding to the incident on Tuesday, President Emmerson Mnangagwa described the event as “tragic” and said it exposed serious deficiencies that needed to be addressed immediately.