By Correspondent
The death toll from Tuesday’s ferry disaster on Lake Kariba has risen to 44, police have said, as search and rescue teams continue efforts to locate people still missing after the vessel capsized.
The ferry, which was designed to carry 90 passengers and five crew members, overturned after being struck by a strong wave, according to police. The vessel was reportedly carrying substantially more people than its stated capacity when the accident occurred.
At least 77 people have been rescued, while divers and other emergency personnel have continued searching the wreckage and surrounding waters for survivors and bodies.
The number of people who were aboard the ferry remains unclear, with officials giving differing figures. A lake official initially said about 120 people, including 12 children, were on board, while other accounts have suggested the number could have been significantly higher.
The disaster occurred after the ferry was hit by large waves and overturned. Images and video footage circulating online show the vessel’s overturned hull floating on Lake Kariba.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa has declared a state of disaster, paving the way for an intensified national response to the tragedy as rescue and recovery operations continue.
Authorities are expected to provide further details on the number of passengers who remain unaccounted for, while investigations into the circumstances surrounding the disaster are also expected to focus on the ferry’s passenger capacity and why it may have been carrying more people than its designated limit.
The Lake Kariba tragedy is among Zimbabwe’s deadliest recent maritime disasters and has triggered renewed questions over safety standards, emergency preparedness and passenger controls on the country’s major inland waterways.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Local Government and Public Works, Daniel Garwe said the state of disaster declaration will enable the government to mobilise additional resources to support those affected by the tragedy.
“The declaration enables the Government to mobilise extraordinary measures and resources necessary to assist and protect persons affected, or likely to be affected, by the disaster,” Garwe said in a statement on Wednesday, adding the government remained focused on accounting for every passenger and crew member who was aboard the vessel.
“The Department of Civil Protection will continue coordinating the multi-agency response, while efforts remain focused on accounting for every passenger and crew member who was on board the vessel,” he said.
