Hundreds of mourners gathered in the lakeside town of Kariba, in northern Zimbabwe, on Thursday for a memorial service honouring the victims of a ferry capsizing that has now killed at least 46 people. Dozens of coffins lined the ceremony as survivors recounted desperate struggles for survival on the waters of Lake Kariba, one of the world's largest man-made reservoirs, which straddles the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia.
The government passenger ferry overturned in rough, choppy waters on Tuesday while carrying 114 adult passengers and five crew members — well above its authorised capacity of 90. The number of children aboard remained unclear. Survivors said passengers had pleaded with the captain to turn back as weather conditions worsened and water began flooding the vessel, but the ferry pressed on. Rescue operations involving the army, divers, local boats and a helicopter recovered 77 survivors, with search efforts continuing around the wreck.
Survivors described harrowing scenes aboard the sinking vessel. Anymore Chambati, who had served as a security official on the ferry, said he tried to distribute life jackets as the boat went down but managed to reach no more than ten passengers before the engines, flooded by heavy winds, failed entirely. Another survivor, Chance Siyamavhu, recounted clinging to the upturned hull alongside others while watching passengers struggle in the water below. "Most people could not make it," he said, noting that many passengers did not know how to use the life jackets they finally managed to reach. Siyamavhu lost his best friend and seven relatives in the disaster. A third survivor, Norah Chadenga, described clinging to a window as the ferry sank, drowning several times before a young man pulled her to safety despite her inability to swim.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa declared the incident a national tragedy and called for urgent improvements to maritime safety and rescue capabilities. "This tragedy has exposed serious deficiencies in our maritime capabilities," he said, warning that transport and recreational sites must not be allowed to become "death traps." A police statement confirmed the revised death toll of 46, adding that a full list of victims would be released in due course.
The disaster is among the deadliest passenger boat accidents ever recorded on Lake Kariba. The ferry served as a vital link between the town of Kariba and surrounding islands and fishing communities, transporting villagers and traders across the lake. Questions now centre on why the vessel sailed in deteriorating conditions while overloaded, whether it carried adequate safety equipment, and how maritime regulations on the lake are enforced.