Lake Kariba Tragedy: 15 Dead, 27 Missing As Overloaded Ferry Capsizes In Zimbabwe, Rescue Operation Underway | Video

Harare: An overloaded ferry capsized on Zimbabwe 's Lake Kariba, killing at least 15 people and leaving 27 missing, the national disaster management agency said. It said 77 people were rescued and made it to a small island on the lake, with boats now being dispatched to bring the survivors back.

Overcrowded Ferry Capsizes on Lake Kariba At Least 15 Dead, 27 Missing

The Mbuya Nehanda ferry overturned near Long Island due to strong winds. Authorities have rescued 77 people, but the death toll may rise as children under ticketing age were not recorded on the passenger… pic.twitter.com/3jZcVfX6zB

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— Mr. Guardian (@MrGGuardian) August 12, 2026

Zimbabwean state broadcaster ZBC published video of speedboats making their way to what appeared to be an overturned boat on the lake as a helicopter hovered overhead. An underwater team for search and rescue operations was deployed on the huge lake, which forms part of the border between Zimbabwe and neighboring Zambia.

The statement from Zimbabwe's Civil Protection Unit said it could only confirm through registered ticket sales that there were 114 adult passengers onboard, along with five crew members. There could have been an unknown number of children below ticketing age who were onboard and not accounted for, it said.

BOAT CAPSIZES ON LAKE KARIBA

A Rural Infrastructure Development Agency (RIDA) boat carrying 90 passengers and five crew members capsized on Lake Kariba while travelling from Kariba Urban to Chalala Fishing Camp via Long Island. The Zimbabwe Republic Police has confirmed the… pic.twitter.com/Z3jF8EUBHq

— ZBC News (@ZBCNewsonline) August 11, 2026

The boat has a carrying capacity of 90 people, the agency said, adding its recommendation that the accident be officially declared a disaster.

Mutsa Murombedzi, a local member of Parliament, posted a video of what she said were people on shore waving off what appeared to be the ageing ferry at the start of its journey. She said rural communities use the boat to travel along the lake to the town of Kariba, a journey that usually takes about five hours.

SAD | The Mbuya Nehanda ferry, which capsized today, had reportedly been operating since 1985. The ferry was one of the most trusted and important modes of transport for people living in Mola, Chalala and surrounding areas.

The ferry was owned by the Zimbabwean government… pic.twitter.com/JCYHfCoLmL

— (@CrimeWatchZW) August 11, 2026

Some people standing on the shore were also concerned about whether the ferry would survive strong waves on the lake, according to the video.

Earlier, Zimbabwe police had said a rescue operation was underway but did not give any other details.

This is the RIDA boat named Mbuya Nehanda taking off earlier before the tragedy struck on Lake Kariba today. Communities used this boat as transport from rural Kariba to Kariba urban. It would take some 5hrs or so to cross Lake Kariba. We have very hard questions that require… pic.twitter.com/CF2TEsoki0

— Mutsa Murombedzi MP (@mutsamu) August 11, 2026

Kariba is the largest man-made lake in the world by volume and was created in the late 1950s and early 1960s by building a dam wall to block the Zambezi River, resulting in a valley slowly filling with water to form a huge lake that's now more than 200 km long and up to 40 km wide in places.

Zimbabwe and Zambia share the lake, with the official border between them in the middle of it. 

(Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by FPJ's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)

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