Ferry carrying 95 people capsizes on Zimbabwe’s Lake Kariba

HARARE, Aug 11: A ferry carrying 95 passengers and five crew members capsized on Tuesday while crossing Lake Kariba in Zimbabwe, triggering a rescue operation, police said.

The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) said rescue efforts were underway and urged the public and relatives of those on board to avoid speculation about the number of casualties until authorities complete operations at the scene.

“The ZRP assures Zimbabweans and relatives of the Kariba boat accident victims that official information on the rescued victims, those injured or dead, will be released in due course after the scene management process is complete,” police said.

The ferry is commonly used by residents of rural communities to travel to Kariba, a town on the northern side of Lake Kariba near Zimbabwe’s border with Zambia.

Zimbabwean MP Mutsa Murombedzi said the vessel normally takes about five hours to make the crossing between Kariba and Chalala. She said the ferry was hit by strong winds during Tuesday’s journey.

Murombedzi also posted video footage on X that she said showed the vessel, identified as the Mbuya Nehanda, departing earlier in the day.

She called for authorities to provide a full account of the incident, saying questions remained about the exact number of people aboard the ferry.

Authorities had not yet released an official death toll or details on the number of people rescued, injured or missing as rescue and scene-management operations continued.