Harare: At least 15 people have died and 27 remain missing after a passenger boat capsized in Zimbabwe’s Lake Kariba, authorities said. The National Disaster Management Agency said 77 people had been rescued and reached a small island in the lake.
Rescue teams have launched a major search operation to locate those still missing. Boats have been deployed to bring the rescued passengers back to safety, while helicopters, speedboats and a specialised underwater team are also involved in the operation.
Lake Kariba, shared by Zimbabwe and Zambia, is one of the world’s largest man-made lakes and is a popular destination for fishing, tourism and local transport.
According to registered ticket records, 114 adults and five crew members were on board the vessel. However, authorities said the actual number of passengers could be higher because children below the ticketing age may not have been included in the records.
Officials said the boat had a maximum carrying capacity of 90 people, indicating that it was carrying more passengers than permitted at the time of the accident.
