Lake Kariba Ferry Toll Rises to 80, Police Say
The death toll from the ferry that capsized on Lake Kariba has risen to 80, Zimbabwean police said on Sunday, as recovery teams continued to pull bodies from the vast reservoir. The overloaded passenger vessel went down on Tuesday on the lake that straddles the Zambia-Zimbabwe border. It is one of the country’s worst transport disasters in years.
Overloading is the recurrent killer on African lakes and rivers, where ageing vessels, scarce enforcement and the absence of affordable alternatives push passengers onto boats carrying far more than they should. Kariba’s size — one of the world’s largest man-made lakes — makes recovery painfully slow, which is why the toll has climbed for days after the sinking. The disaster has prompted familiar calls for tighter inspection and life-jacket rules, promises that have followed previous sinkings without preventing the next. For the lakeside communities that depend on the crossing, the loss reaches into almost every family. Watch whether the final toll rises further and whether any enforcement follows.