Zimbabwe Ferry Disaster Death Toll Hits 72

Zimbabwe’s ferry disaster death toll has risen to 72 after authorities recovered 25 more bodies from Lake Kariba, as the search for victims continues.

Police said three additional bodies were recovered late on Saturday, taking the toll from 68 to 72.

“The Kariba RIDA boat accident death toll is now 72 after the recovery of 3 more bodies late on the 15th of August 2026,” police said in a statement.

Zimbabwe Ferry Capsizing Death Toll Hits 68

The ferry, operated by the government’s Rural Infrastructure Development Agency (RIDA), overturned in rough waters on Tuesday in what is believed to be Zimbabwe’s deadliest passenger boat disaster.

The vessel was approved to carry 90 people but carried 114 adults, five crew members, and an unknown number of children.

The Civil Protection Unit said 77 people were rescued after the accident.

Many of those on board were villagers and fish traders living around Lake Kariba.

Police said the identification of the recovered bodies was ongoing, while hundreds of relatives gathered at a district hospital in Kariba to search for their loved ones.

Zimbabwe Ferry Disaster Death Toll Hits 72 (NewsCentral TV) — Recovered bodies from Zimbabwe ferry disaster. Credit: Al Jazeera.

Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Muchechesi, who is leading the search operation, said rescuers remained hopeful of recovering all the bodies.

“We are confident that we will manage to retrieve all the bodies,” Muchechesi said, adding that cold winter temperatures were slowing the process because bodies were taking longer to rise to the surface.

A public memorial service was held in Kariba on Thursday before burials began.

Survivors said they had urged the ferry operator to turn back after the vessel began taking on water shortly after departure.

One survivor, 45-year-old Chance Siyamavhu, said he watched people struggle to escape as the ferry sank.

Death Toll from Zimbabwe Boat Capsize Hits 44

“Thank God that a wave pushed the sinking vessel and we managed to climb on top,” Siyamavhu said.

“When the boat capsized, most of the people scrambled to get the life jackets but most of them did not even know how to use them. Most people could not make it,” he added.

Lake Kariba sits along the Zimbabwe-Zambia border and is the world’s largest man-made lake by volume.

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