HARARE: The Zimbabwe ferry death toll rose to 68 Saturday after crews recovered 22 more bodies from Lake Kariba, with police confirming at least 18 children among the victims.
Sixteen of the children were aged 10 or younger, and the youngest identified victim was one year old, according to an Associated Press report citing a police list.
The government-run Mbuya Nehanda passenger ferry capsized near Long Island during the afternoon of August 11 while travelling from Kariba town to Chalala fishing camp. Officials blamed strong winds and choppy water.
Zimbabwe is three hours behind Pakistan Standard Time, but authorities have not disclosed the precise local time of the capsizing.
The ferry was authorised to carry 90 people. Zimbabwe’s Civil Protection Unit said ticket records listed 114 adult passengers and five crew members, while an unspecified number of children were also aboard.
The agency said 77 people were rescued. Authorities have not confirmed the vessel’s final passenger total or how many people remain missing.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa of Zimbabwe declared the incident a national disaster and directed government agencies to provide medical, psychological and funeral assistance to affected families.
Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Muchechesi, commander of the military boat unit involved in the operation, said cold winter water was slowing the recovery process. Search teams remained deployed Saturday, AFP reported.
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Lake Kariba lies in northwestern Zimbabwe along the border with Zambia, about 280 kilometres northwest of the capital, Harare. It is the world’s largest human-made lake by volume.
