The death toll from a ferry disaster on Zimbabwe's Lake Kariba has risen to 68, with police confirming that 18 children were among the victims. Rescuers recovered 22 additional bodies since the ferry capsized Tuesday in rough waves.
The aging vessel was en route from Kariba town to remote fishing communities in the country's northwest, an area with poor road infrastructure and limited public transportation options. Authorities have not released the total number of passengers on board or the number of individuals still unaccounted for.
Estimates suggest that as many as 153 people may have been on the ferry, which had a stated capacity of 90. Zimbabwe's disaster management agency reported that 77 people were rescued. Initially, officials stated that the number of children on board was unknown, as those below ticketing age were not factored into passenger counts. A subsequent police list revealed that 16 of the child victims were 10 years old or younger, with the youngest being just one year old.
Lake Kariba, one of the world's largest man-made lakes by volume, was created by damming the Zambezi River between the late 1950s and early 1960s. It spans over 200 kilometers (124 miles) and reaches up to 40 kilometers (25 miles) in width. The border between Zimbabwe and Zambia runs through the middle of the lake.