The death toll from the ferry accident on Zimbabwe’s Lake Kariba has risen to 68 after rescuers recovered 22 more bodies on Saturday, police said.
The passenger ferry, operated by the government’s Rural Infrastructure Development Agency (RIDA), capsized on Tuesday in rough waters after it was reportedly overloaded.
Zimbabwean police said in a statement that the number of fatalities had reached 68 following the recovery of the bodies, without providing further details about the rescue operation.
Most of those on board were villagers and fish traders living around Lake Kariba, which straddles the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia.
Authorities said the vessel was licensed to carry 90 passengers but was carrying 114 adults, five crew members and an unspecified number of children when it overturned. The civil protection unit said 77 people had been rescued by Wednesday.
The tragedy has prompted mourning in the lakeside town of Kariba, where dozens of people gathered on Thursday for an emotional memorial service before some of the recovered bodies were laid to rest.
Survivors said they had urged the ferry operator to turn back after the vessel began taking on water shortly after leaving shore as conditions on the lake deteriorated.
Despite the tragedy, residents told AFP that serious ferry accidents on Lake Kariba are relatively uncommon.
Located about 400 kilometres (250 miles) west of Zimbabwe’s capital, Harare, Lake Kariba is one of Africa’s largest reservoirs and the world’s largest man-made lake by volume.
