Ferry was carrying double its capacity: Zimbabwe government

A government-owned ferry that capsized on Zimbabwe’s Lake Kariba last week was carrying about 180 passengers, double what police had given as its capacity, the government said on Tuesday, as the death toll rose to 94.

State-controlled newspaper The Herald said it was the deadliest transport disaster in the Southern African country’s history, surpassing a 1991 bus crash that claimed 89 lives.

The boat was travelling from the town of Kariba in northern Zimbabwe to a remote rural community on the lake when it capsized after being struck by strong waves.

The ferry was only meant to carry 90 passengers, police said last week.

While the government statement did not say the maximum number that should have been on board, it said the 180 passengers and goods exceeded “it’s carrying capacity”.

Police on Tuesday put the death toll, which has risen steadily over the week since the capsize, at 94.

Some 77 people have been rescued so far, while search and recovery operations continue, the government said in the statement released after a cabinet meeting.

Lake Kariba, on the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia, is one of the world’s largest man-made reservoirs.