The serene waters of Lake Kariba the world’s largest man-made lake by volume, turned into a scene of tragedy on Tuesday. An overloaded ferry capsized, claiming the lives of at least 44 people, according to the Zimbabwe police. The disaster has left the nation in mourning and raised serious questions about safety measures on the lake.
The ferry, operated by the Rural Infrastructure Development Agency (RIDA) was carrying 114 adult passengers, five crew members, and an unknown number of children when it capsized. The vessel, which had a capacity of 90 people, was en route to islands and fishing camps from the lakeshore town of Kariba. The exact number of people on board remains uncertain due to the presence of children who may not have been ticketed.
The Unfolding Tragedy
The disaster began when the ferry started taking on water about 30 minutes after departing. Witnesses reported that the boat was hit by large waves, causing it to overturn. A crew member told the national broadcaster ZBC that there were 153 people on board when the ferry capsized. The initial death toll was reported as 15, with 27 people missing, but the number quickly rose to 38 and then to 44 as more bodies were retrieved from the lake.
A video shared by ZBC showed several people sitting on the upturned ferry, with speedboats and a helicopter rushing to their aid. Maxwell Kanhema Page, a media practitioner, shared a video from the shore, noting that the lake was “angry” and describing the moment he received over 200 calls about the sinking ferry.
Search and Rescue Efforts
Specialized underwater teams were flown to the area to assist in the search and rescue operations. The Civil Protection Unit (CPU) reported that 77 people had been rescued and taken to Long Island in the middle of the lake. The search continued for any unaccounted individuals, with divers and larger boats joining the effort. Two funeral parlors were engaged to collect the bodies as the rescue teams worked tirelessly.
Maxton Kanhema, a witness to the tragedy, described the scene as distressing. He noted that the boat left in bad weather and may have been hit by a wave, causing its engines to switch off. The national park provided a helicopter to aid in the rescue efforts, alongside divers from the local area and the army.
A History of Disasters
Tragically, this is not the first time a ferry accident has occurred on Lake Kariba. In 2014, 26 people, mostly children, drowned in Zambia’s part of the lake when a boat capsized. On the Zimbabwean side, five people drowned in a 2026 incident, and three were feared dead in an capsizing. The month before, a police boat overturned, although no lives were lost in that incident.
Lake Kariba, created in the 1950s during British colonial rule, stretches about 150 miles along Zimbabwe’s northern border with Zambia. The Kariba dam supplies at least a third of both countries’ electricity, making the lake a vital resource for the region. However, the recent tragedy serves as a stark reminder of the need for improved safety measures and better regulation of ferry operations on the lake.
