Disasters & Incidents
Zimbabwe ferry death toll rises to 94 on Lake Kariba
The death toll from a ferry capsizing on Zimbabwe's Lake Kariba has risen to 94 after two more bodies were recovered, police said Tuesday.
The passenger ferry capsized in bad weather and rough waters on August 11 on the lake, which borders Zambia. Police said the dead include 30 children under 10, including a one-month-old infant.
Local Government Minister Daniel Garwe said Tuesday that the sinking was the “result of negligence and human error by the captain of the boat” and launched an investigation. The government said weather services had warned against sailing on the day of the accident.
Authorities said the ferry had a capacity of 90 passengers. Police said 77 people were rescued after the capsize. Officials had earlier said the vessel was carrying 114 adult passengers, five crew members and an unspecified number of children.
The ferry was a vital transport link for rural communities around Lake Kariba to the town of Kariba, nearly 280 kilometres northwest of Harare. Many of those on board were believed to be villagers and fish traders.
A survivor, Itayi Marumisa of Mola village, told AFP that passengers had warned the captain about rough water and said the boat was overloaded, but that their concerns were ignored. She said life jackets were buried under luggage and that not more than 30 people managed to get them.
Lake Kariba straddles Zimbabwe and Zambia and is the world's largest man-made lake by volume.
Update
Police said the death toll rose from 92 to 94 after two more bodies were recovered.
Police said the dead include 30 children under 10, including a one-month-old infant.
Local Government Minister Daniel Garwe said the sinking resulted from negligence and human error by the captain and launched an investigation.
The government said a weather-services warning had advised against sailing on the day of the accident.
Source note: AFP news report published on 18 August 2026 at 17:41:37 UTC.
Update
Zimbabwean police said eight more bodies were recovered from Lake Kariba on Monday.
Police said the death toll from the ferry disaster had risen to 92 by 15:00 local time on Monday.
Source note: AFP news report published on 17 August 2026 at 14:33:01 UTC.
Update
Police said the death toll rose to 84 after four more bodies were recovered from Lake Kariba on Sunday afternoon.
Police said search efforts were still underway for people identified as missing.
The updated death toll and 77 reported rescues would mean the vessel was carrying at least 161 people.
Source note: AFP news report published on 16 August 2026 at 18:34:06 UTC.
Update
Police said eight more bodies were recovered from Lake Kariba on August 16, raising the death toll to 80.
Police gave no details of the new victims.
With 77 people previously reported rescued and 80 bodies recovered, the figures would mean the vessel was carrying 157 people.
Officials have not said how many children were among the dead.
Source note: AFP news report published on 16 August 2026 at 13:21:02 UTC.
Update
Police said the death toll rose to 72 after three more bodies were recovered late on August 15, 2026.
Authorities recovered 25 bodies from Lake Kariba on Saturday in total.
Police said identification of the bodies recovered on Saturday was in progress.
The search for victims was continuing.
Source note: AFP news report published on 15 August 2026 at 21:07:48 UTC.
Update
Police said 22 bodies were recovered on Saturday, raising the death toll to 68.
Source note: AFP news report published on 15 August 2026 at 15:41:02 UTC.
Update
Police said the death toll from the Zimbabwe ferry capsizing had risen to 68.
Source note: AFP news report published on 15 August 2026 at 15:33:55 UTC.
Update
Police announced that the death toll had risen to 46.
Dozens of mourners gathered in front of 44 coffins at a memorial service in Kariba.
Survivor Chance Siyamavhu said his best friend and seven relatives were among the dead.
Survivors described passengers struggling with life jackets and said they had pleaded for the captain to turn back as the boat took on water.
A security official on the vessel said he handed out fewer than 10 life jackets and that the engines filled with water because of heavy winds.
Source note: AFP news report published on 13 August 2026 at 16:01:16 UTC.
Update
President Emmerson Mnangagwa declared the ferry accident a national disaster.
Mnangagwa said the tragedy exposed serious deficiencies in Zimbabwe's maritime capabilities.
A survivor told ZBC that passengers asked the ferry driver to turn back because of choppy conditions but he refused.
The survivor said the vessel may have been damaged because it was taking on water.
The civil protection unit said two funeral parlours were engaged to collect bodies.
Source note: AFP news report published on 12 August 2026 at 15:23:05 UTC.
Update
The ferry was carrying 114 adult passengers, five crew members and an unspecified number of children, according to the civil protection unit.
The vessel had capacity for 90 people.
The civil protection unit initially said 77 people were rescued and 15 bodies retrieved before police updated the death toll to 44.
Search efforts continued for any unaccounted people.
A witness described bodies in the water and said a wave may have caused the engines to switch off.
A specialised aquatic rescue unit was airlifted to the area.
Source note: AFP news report published on 12 August 2026 at 12:28:18 UTC.
Update
Zimbabwe Republic Police said the death toll in the Lake Kariba boat accident had risen to 44.
Source note: AFP news report published on 12 August 2026 at 11:49:44 UTC.
Update
A specialised aquatic rescue unit was airlifted to the area to help search for the missing.
Zimbabwe's civil protection unit said 15 bodies had been retrieved and funeral parlours had been engaged to collect them.
The ferry provides transport between Kariba and several islands and fishing camps.
Lake Kariba lies on Zimbabwe's border with Zambia, more than 300 kilometres northeast of Harare.
Source note: AFP news report published on 12 August 2026 at 05:46:55 UTC.
Update
The ferry capsized on Zimbabwe's Lake Kariba.
Zimbabwe's civil protection unit said 77 passengers were rescued.
The unit said the boat overturned Tuesday after hitting strong waves.
The boat was carrying 114 adult passengers, five crew members and some children despite a capacity of 90 people.
The search for the missing was continuing.
Source note: AFP news report published on 12 August 2026 at 05:32:45 UTC.
Uncertainty notes
Authorities have not given a final total for the number of people on board because the number of children aboard was previously unspecified.
The investigation announced by the local government minister is pending.
Source
AFP news report published on .