Rescue teams in Zimbabwe have recovered 22 additional bodies following a devastating ferry disaster on Lake Kariba earlier this week, bringing the total confirmed death toll to 68, police reported on Saturday. Among those who perished in the accident, which occurred when the vessel capsized amidst strong waves on Tuesday, were 18 children.
The aging ferry was operating on a route from Kariba town to rural and fishing communities in the country's northwest, a region where public transportation is limited and road infrastructure is frequently damaged. While authorities have not released an official count of how many people were on board at the time of the incident, estimates suggest as many as 153 passengers may have been present, significantly exceeding the vessel's official capacity of 90. Zimbabwe’s disaster management agency has confirmed that 77 individuals were successfully rescued.
Initial reports indicated that the number of children aboard was difficult to determine because passengers below a certain age were not included in standard ticketing estimates. However, subsequent documentation from the police revealed that 16 of the child victims were aged 10 or younger, with the youngest being just 1 year old.
Lake Kariba, the site of the tragedy, is the largest human-made lake in the world by volume. Formed by damming the Zambezi River between the late 1950s and early 1960s, the lake spans over 200 kilometers in length and reaches widths of up to 40 kilometers in some areas.
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Md. Kazi Bijoy is a dedicated tech enthusiast and content creator with a passion for digital innovation. With years of experience in the tech industry, he specializes in breaking down complex topics into easy-to-understand guides. When he isn’t writing, he explores the latest gadgets and researches emerging trends in the digital world.