At least 15 die as boat sinks in Zimbabwe’s Lake Kariba
42 minutes ago
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At least 15 people have died after a boat carrying dozens of people sank on Lake Kariba in Zimbabwe, with rescue operations continuing, officials have said
Police said 90 passengers and five crew were onboard the vessel when it capsized on Tuesday, but it may have been overloaded, with other reports pointing to a higher number based on the registered ticket sales
The vessel was hit by a strong wave and overturned, police added. Footage shared online appears to show the hull floating in the water
Lake Kariba, which straddles the border with Zambia, is one of the world’s largest man-made reservoirs, supporting transport and fishing and providing vital hydroelectric power to both countries
The Zimbabwe’s Civil Protection Unit (CPU) said that registered ticket sales showed 114 adults were on the vessel. There could also have been an unknown number of children below ticketing age, it added
The CPU said that 77 passengers had so far been rescued, and 15 bodies had been retrieved
Two funeral parlours were collecting the bodies, it added
Mutsa Murombedzi, a local member of parliament, posted a video on Xof what she said was the boat at the start of the journey, adding that residents had been using it to travel across the lake to Kariba town, a journey that takes about five hours
“We have very hard questions that require honest answers. The officials must release the correct number of people who were onboard,” she wrote
Police said more details would be released “in due course”
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