At least 44 people drowned when an overcrowded ferry capsized on Zimbabwe’s Lake Kariba, police said Wednesday, updating the toll a day after the disaster.
A witness said soon after the government ferry sank in rough weather Tuesday that bodies could be seen in the water as rescuers tried to reach the vessel, reported the Agence France-Presse (AFP).
It was carrying 114 adult passengers, five crew members and an unspecified number of children when it went down, the civil protection unit (CPU) said.
The Rural Infrastructure Development Agency (RIDA) vessel – which ferries people between the northern town of Kariba and several islands and fishing villages – had the capacity for 90 people, it said.
The unit said initially that 77 people were rescued and 15 bodies retrieved.
