Overview
- The government-run RIDA ferry capsized after taking on water in rough waves on Tuesday, 11 August, and police said recovery teams have now raised the confirmed death toll to 84 after more bodies were recovered.
- Officials say the vessel was authorised for 90 people but left harbour with at least 114 adults plus five crew and an unknown number of children, and some estimates put total passengers as high as 153 to 157.
- Rescue and recovery work has saved 77 people and involved police divers, military units and local fishermen who continue to search the lake and identify recovered bodies.
- President Emmerson Mnangagwa declared a state of disaster and ordered agencies to mobilise while police launched probes into overloading, the vessel’s condition and crew decisions.
- The ferry was a vital link for remote fishing communities and its loss has disrupted food deliveries and local trade as families mourn multiple victims and identification of the dead continues.