At least 15 dead, dozens missing as ferry capsizes in Zimbabwe

BREAKING: At least 15 dead and 27 missing after an overloaded ferry capsized on Zimbabwe's Lake Kariba, the country's Civil Protection Unit says, with 77 rescued.

At least 15 people are dead after a ferry capsized on Zimbabwe's Lake Kariba. Twenty seven are still missing, and 77 have been pulled from the water alive.

The boat was overloaded. Its capacity was 90 people. Ticket sales alone confirm 114 adult passengers plus five crew, and officials say there may have been children on board too young for tickets, so nobody knows the true number. It set out in bad weather on Tuesday, hit strong waves, and overturned. You can see the rescue operation here, speedboats and a helicopter over the lake, with divers and the army searching the water.

Kariba is the largest man made lake on earth, over 200 kilometres long, and this ferry was the link between the town and the fishing camps on its islands. A witness described bodies in the water and rescuers slowed by the same weather that sank the boat.

An overloaded vessel, a departure into a storm, and dozens of families waiting for news. The question now is accountability.

This is Dave King, reporting for HIT.

Source Read the original reporting at aljazeera.com