At least 15 people died after a boat carrying dozens of passengers sank on Lake Kariba in Zimbabwe on Tuesday. The vessel was hit by a strong wave and overturned as it was heading across the lake, with rescue crews still pulling people from the water and recovering bodies.
Police said 90 passengers and five crew were onboard when the boat capsized. The Civil Protection Unit later said registered ticket sales showed 114 adults were on the vessel, and said children below ticketing age may also have been aboard. By the same update, 77 passengers had been rescued and 15 bodies had been retrieved.
Mutsa Murombedzi on X
Mutsa Murombedzi, a local member of parliament, posted a video on X and said residents had been using the boat to travel across Lake Kariba to Kariba town, a journey that takes about five hours. In her post, she said: "We have very hard questions that require honest answers. The officials must release the correct number of people who were onboard,"
That question matters because the count on board sets the scale of the search. Police used one total, while Zimbabwe's Civil Protection Unit used another based on ticket sales, leaving room for children who may not have been included in the adult tally.
Lake Kariba in Zimbabwe
Lake Kariba sits on the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia and is one of the world's largest man-made reservoirs. It supports transport and fishing and provides vital hydroelectric power to both countries, which makes the boat route part of daily movement rather than an isolated crossing.
Two funeral parlours were collecting the bodies as rescue work continued. Police said more details would be released in due course, and the unresolved headcount on the vessel remains the bluntest measure of how many families are still waiting for answers.
