At least 15 people were killed and 27 remained missing after an overloaded ferry capsized Tuesday on Zimbabwe’s Lake Kariba, the country’s national disaster management agency said.
The agency said 77 people were rescued after making their way to a small island on the lake. Boats were being dispatched to bring the survivors to safety as search and rescue operations continued.
Zimbabwe’s Civil Protection Unit said ticket records showed that 114 adults were aboard the ferry, along with five crew members. The vessel had a stated capacity of 90 people.
However, officials warned that an unknown number of children below the ticketing age may have been aboard but were not included in the passenger count.
The Civil Protection Unit recommended that the incident be officially declared a disaster.
