At least 15 people have died and 27 remain missing after an overloaded ferry capsized on Lake Kariba, Zimbabwe, triggering a search-and-rescue operation.
Zimbabwe’s Civil Protection Unit said 77 people had been rescued following the accident. The vessel was carrying 114 registered adult passengers and five crew members, although authorities warned that additional children may not have been included in passenger records.
The ferry had a reported capacity of 90 people, raising concerns over overloading. Authorities have not yet confirmed the precise cause of the accident, with rescue and recovery operations continuing.
Zimbabwean police have urged the media and public to avoid circulating unverified casualty figures while officials complete the identification and scene-management process.
Lake Kariba, shared by Zimbabwe and Zambia, is one of Africa’s largest inland waterways and supports communities that rely on the lake for transport, fishing and other livelihoods.
The disaster has renewed concerns over water-transport safety in Africa, where overloaded or poorly equipped vessels and difficult weather conditions have contributed to deadly accidents on major lakes and rivers.
On Lake Victoria, for example, Kenya’s maritime authorities reported in April that 420 marine accidents and 269 deaths had been recorded on the Kenyan side of the lake between 2015 and 2025. Officials attributed many of the deaths to non-compliance with safety standards and highlighted overloading, substandard vessels and the need for better maritime communication and transport systems.
The investigation will determine what happened on the water. The larger question for communities around Lake Kariba and other African waterways is whether the tragedy can lead to stronger safety measures before another overloaded vessel makes the same journey.
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