At
least
15
people
died
a d
27
emai ed
missi g
afte
a
passe ge
fe y
capsized
o
Zimbabwe’s
Lake
Ka iba
o
Tuesday.
(@zoleka_zw)
At
least
15
people
died
a d
27
emai ed
missi g
afte
a
passe ge
fe y
capsized
o
Zimbabwe’s
Lake
Ka iba
o
Tuesday,
while
77
people
we e
escued,
autho ities
said.Questio s
ove
possible
ove c owdi g
a d
i complete
passe ge
eco ds
have
eme ged
as
autho ities
wo k
to
establish
how
ma y
people
we e
actually
aboa d
the
vessel
whe
it
ove tu ed.
Ticket
eco ds
showed
114
adults
o
boa d,
while
five
c ew
membe s
we e
also
listed,
putti g
the
eco ded
total
at
119
agai st
the
fe y’s
stated
capacity
of
90.Officials,
howeve ,
said
child e
below
the
ticketi g
age
may
ot
have
bee
i cluded
i
the
eco ds.
This
mea s
the
actual
umbe
of
people
aboa d
could
have
bee
highe
a d
the
cu e t
figu e
of
those
missi g
could
cha ge
as
autho ities
eco cile
passe ge
lists
with
those
escued
a d
co fi med
dead.Acco di g
to
the
Associated
P ess,
all
77
escued
passe ge s
eached
a
small
isla d
afte
the
fe y
capsized,
with
boats
se t
to
b i g
them
back.
Zimbabwe’s
state
b oadcaste
ZBC
showed
escue
boats
ope ati g
o
the
lake,
while
a
helicopte
was
also
deployed.
A
u de wate
sea ch
team
was
se t
to
look
fo
those
still
u accou ted
fo .The
Civil
P otectio
U it
ecomme ded
that
the
accide t
be
fo mally
decla ed
a
disaste .
The
114
egiste ed
adults
a d
five
c ew
membe s
put
the
docume ted
umbe
aboa d
at
119,
o
29
above
the
vessel’s
stated
capacity.
The
epo ted
figu es
of
15
dead,
27
missi g
a d
77
escued
also
total
119.Howeve ,
autho ities
have
ot
co fi med
whethe
those
figu es
ep ese t
the
same
passe ge
g oup
eflected
i
the
ticket
eco ds.
The
possibility
that
child e
t avelled
without
bei g
i cluded
i
the
eco ds
has
added
fu the
u ce tai ty.Autho ities
a e
ow
expected
to
compa e
passe ge
eco ds
with
the
ames
of
those
escued,
missi g
a d
co fi med
dead
to
dete mi e
the
actual
umbe
aboa d
the
fe y.Questio s
ove
co ditio s
o
the
lake
had
su faced
befo e
the
fe y
set
out.
Footage
sha ed
by
local
MP
Mutsa
Mu ombedzi
showed
people
o
sho e
exp essi g
co ce
ove
whethe
the
vessel
could
cope
with
st o g
waves.Autho ities
have
ot
li ked
those
wa i gs
to
the
capsize
a d
have
ot
yet
ide tified
weathe
co ditio s
as
the
cause
of
the
accide t.Mu ombedzi
said
the
fe y
is
used
by
u al
commu ities
t avelli g
to
Ka iba
tow ,
with
the
jou ey
taki g
about
five
hou s.Lake
Ka iba
lies
betwee
Zimbabwe
a d
Zambia
a d
was
c eated
followi g
the
co st uctio
of
the
Ka iba
Dam
ac oss
the
Zambezi
Rive
i
the
late
1950s.The
accide t
comes
afte
autho ities
had
p eviously
wa ed
boat
ope ato s
agai st
ca yi g
mo e
passe ge s
o
goods
tha
thei
vessels
we e
desig ed
to
ha dle.I
Ja ua y
2024,
a
Wate
a d
I la d
Depa tme t
official
said
ove loadi g
had
become
a
co ce
o
Lake
Ka iba
followi g
a
se ies
of
boat
accide ts
a d
u ged
ope ato s
to
comply
with
p esc ibed
capacity
limits.Safety
co ce s
have
co ti ued.
Two
me
died
i
Novembe
2024
afte
a
small
boat
ca yi g
th ee
people
capsized
du i g
a
sto m.
I
Ma ch
2025,
a othe
accide t
i volvi g
a
fishi g
vessel
left
o e
pe so
fea ed
dead.Local
autho ities
have
epeatedly
u ged
boat
use s
to
avoid
ove loadi g
a d
exe cise
cautio
du i g
poo
weathe .Zimbabwe
Pa ks
a d
Wildlife
Ma ageme t
Autho ity
desc ibes
Lake
Ka iba
as
the
wo ld’s
la gest
ma -made
lake
by
volume.
At
full
capacity,
it
st etches
about
282
km,
cove s
a ou d
5,580
sq
km
a d
ca
hold
about
185
cubic
km
of
wate .The
lake
is
up
to
32
km
wide
at
its
b oadest
poi t,
maki g
boats
a
impo ta t
t a spo t
li k
fo
commu ities
alo g
its
sho es.The
immediate
focus
afte
Tuesday’s
disaste
emai s
the
sea ch
fo
the
27
people
still
missi g
a d
dete mi i g
how
ma y
people
we e
actually
aboa d
the
fe y
whe
it
capsized.
