At least 44 dead after overcrowded ferry capsizes on Lake Kariba in Zimbabwe

Operation under way to rescue dozens missing after boat overturned by waves at world’s largest human-made lake At least 44 people have died after an overcrowded ferry capsized on Lake Kariba in Zimbabwe, police said. The boat had a capacity of 90 people, but was carrying 114 adult passengers, five crew members and an unknown number of children, Zimbabwe’s civil protection unit (CPU) said earlier on Wednesday, citing ticket sales. A crew member told the national broadcaster ZBC that there were 153 people onboard when the ferry overturned on Tuesday after it hit large waves. A passenger told ZBC that the boat began taking on water about 30 minutes after it left the lakeshore town of Kariba, heading for islands and fishing camps. A specialised underwater team was flown to the area, the CPU said, as search and rescue continued on Wednesday. At the time, the CPU said the death toll was 15, with 27 known to be missing. Zimbabwe’s police updated the death toll on Wednesday afternoon in posts on X twice in the space of 32 minutes. In the first post, it said the death toll was 38, adding: “The bodies have been retrieved from the lake.” Then it said that 44 people were now known to have died

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