At least 44 people have died after a passenger ferry capsized on Lake Kariba in Zimbabwe, prompting President Emmerson Mnangagwa to declare the tragedy a state of disaster.
The government-owned vessel overturned on Tuesday while travelling from Kariba towards Chalala. Authorities said it encountered strong waves near Long Island before capsizing.
Rescue and recovery teams continued searching the lake on Wednesday as the scale of the disaster became clearer.
Zimbabwe’s Civil Protection Unit (CPU) said ticket records showed that at least 114 adult passengers and five crew members were aboard the ferry.
Children below ticketing age may also have been travelling on the vessel. Their number was not immediately known, making it difficult for authorities to establish an exact passenger total. The ferry had a stated capacity of 90 people.
At least 77 people were reported to have been rescued as emergency teams continued operations around the accident site.
Police divers, military personnel and other emergency services have joined the response. Teams from the Zimbabwe Republic Police Sub-Aqua Unit and Zimbabwe National Army Boat Squadron were deployed to the area.
Helicopters and boats have also supported operations on the lake.
The declaration of a state of disaster allows the government to mobilise additional resources for the emergency response and support affected communities.
Poor weather has complicated the operation, with rough conditions making it more difficult for rescue teams to reach parts of the accident area.
Authorities are expected to face questions over how the ferry came to carry more people than its stated capacity.
Official ticket records account for 114 adult passengers, already above the vessel’s capacity, excluding the five crew members and any children travelling without tickets.
The final number of people aboard has yet to be established. Attention is also likely to focus on the circumstances surrounding the ferry’s departure and the weather conditions on Lake Kariba at the time.
The disaster has drawn national attention as families wait for information about relatives who were travelling on the ferry.
President Mnangagwa’s declaration formally recognises the scale of the tragedy and gives authorities greater scope to coordinate the national response.
Search and recovery efforts remain focused on locating those still unaccounted for and establishing the full number of people who were aboard.
Lake Kariba stretches along the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia and supports communities, tourism and fishing activities on both sides.
The vast reservoir was created following the construction of the Kariba Dam across the Zambezi River. It extends for more than 200 kilometres and is among the world’s largest human-made lakes by volume. Authorities have not yet announced the outcome of any investigation into the cause of Tuesday’s disaster.
