HARARE, Zimbabwe — At least 15 people were killed and 27 remained missing after an overloaded ferry capsized on Zimbabwe’s Lake Kariba, authorities said Wednesday.

The accident happened Tuesday on the massive lake, which borders Zimbabwe and neighboring Zambia. Zimbabwe’s Civil Protection Unit said 77 passengers were rescued and reached a small island, while boats were being sent to transport the survivors back to safety.

Search-and-rescue teams, including an underwater unit, were deployed as authorities continued searching the lake for those still missing.

State broadcaster ZBC released footage showing speedboats heading toward what appeared to be the overturned ferry while a helicopter hovered above the area.

Ferry was carrying more passengers than its capacity

Authorities said registered ticket records showed that 114 adults and five crew members were aboard the vessel. Officials warned that additional children may have been traveling without tickets and had not yet been accounted for.

The ferry had a stated capacity of just 90 people, meaning the number of passengers recorded aboard was significantly above its official limit.

Local lawmaker Mutsa Murombedzi shared video that appeared to show the aging ferry leaving the shoreline at the beginning of its journey.

According to Murombedzi, residents from rural communities regularly use the vessel to travel across Lake Kariba to the town of Kariba, a journey that typically takes around five hours.

Some people watching the ferry depart reportedly expressed concerns about whether the aging vessel could withstand strong waves on the lake.

Rescue operation continues

Zimbabwean authorities have not yet provided a complete account of what caused the ferry to overturn.

Rescue crews were continuing to search the enormous lake as authorities worked to determine the identities and exact number of people aboard.

The Civil Protection Unit recommended that the incident be officially declared a disaster, given the scale of the tragedy and the number of people still unaccounted for.

Lake Kariba is one of Africa’s largest reservoirs and the world’s largest man-made lake by volume. Created following construction of the Kariba Dam in the late 1950s and early 1960s, it stretches for more than 200 kilometers (124 miles) and reaches roughly 40 kilometers (25 miles) across in some areas.

The lake is shared by Zimbabwe and Zambia, with the international boundary running through its middle.

As the search continued, families were left waiting for news about relatives who had been aboard the ill-fated ferry.

Source: nypost.com