More bodies found after Lake Kariba ferry disaster in Zimbabwe as number of deaths hits 72

Twenty-six more bodies have been found after a ferry capsized in Zimbabwe - taking the total number of deaths to at least 72.

The incident happened on Lake Kariba on Tuesday and it's believed the vessel was overloaded and tipped over in strong waves.

Police said on Saturday that 18 children were among the dead, while Zimbabwe's disaster management agency said 77 people had been rescued.

It's unclear exactly how many people were on board, but estimates put it at more than 150 despite the capacity being 90.

Witnesses told state broadcaster ZBC News passengers had urged the captain to turn back as waves grew stronger, but were dismissed.

One of the two crew who survived, Anyway Chambati, said some people had survived by standing on the capsized hull.

He told ZBC: "Before it went down, passengers were screaming at us that the boat was flooding, water was pouring into the engine room and goods were spilling out."

When water surged into the vessel, panicked travellers scrambled for life jackets beneath their seats, witnesses said.

Mr Chambati said he was in charge of ticketing and counted 153 people on board, including crew and infants, before the accident.

Zimbabwe's Herald newspaper reported that the captain was among the dead.

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The ferry was travelling from the town of Kariba to rural and fishing communities in the northwest.

Kariba is the world's largest man-made lake by volume and stretches 124 miles. It was created by damming the Zambezi River and allowing a gorge to flood.

The border between Zimbabwe and Zambia runs through the middle of the lake.

(c) Sky News 2026: More bodies found after Lake Kariba ferry disaster in Zimbabwe as number of deaths hits 72