Kariba death toll rises to 97 as police release names and ages of 93 identified victims… family almost buried wrong body!

The death toll from Zimbabwe’s Lake Kariba ferry disaster has risen to 97 after search teams recovered the bodies of a young boy and a woman on Thursday, the 10th day of operations on the lake.

The recoveries brought the number of identified victims to 93, after police released the names of 10 more people who died when the Rural Infrastructure Development Agency (RIDA) ferry capsized on 11 August. Two recovered victims are still awaiting formal identification, while search teams continue to look for anyone who may have been on board without their relatives knowing.

One of the latest bodies was found drifting near Fothergill Island. The other was moving towards King’s Camp. Once the sightings were reported, Zimbabwe National Army and Zimbabwe Republic Police boats moved into the area to coordinate the recovery.

The Lake Captain, Lameck Chitenga, and another team provided support as the police subaqua unit headed towards the body of the woman. The captain then spotted another body floating in the distance. Calls were made between the teams, and the police boat continued towards King’s Camp while waiting for the arrival of the army rescue boat.

About five minutes later, the rescue boat reached the area and the recovery was completed. The bodies were taken towards Andora Harbour as relatives and officials waited for the next stage of the identification process.

Police spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi said the latest release of names followed the identification of 83 victims in earlier updates. In a statement, he said: “Reference is made to the Zimbabwe Republic Police press statement released on August 18, 2026 on the names of victims who perished in the Rural Infrastructure Development Agency (RIDA) boat accident. The Zimbabwe Republic Police releases the names of 10 more victims, bringing the total number of victims identified by their next of kin to 93. The death toll has risen to 95.”

That statement was issued before the two additional bodies were recovered, taking the confirmed death toll to 97.

The 10 newly identified victims are Vimbai Magiri, 36, of Zvamoyo Village, Chief Mola, Kariba; Lina Mutale, 6, of JSV Number 03, Padenga Holdings, Kariba; Muchengati Siamavu, 25, of Mujokeri Village, Chief Mola, Siakobvu; Linah Siamandoga, 8, of Siakanoka Village, Chief Mola, Siakobvu; Princess Mberikwenyanga, 23, of D30 Shabanie, Mahombekombe, Kariba; Erina Machongwe, 26, of 23272 Rusununguko Extension, Chinhoyi; Felistus Nzerombairi, 10, of 1172 Nyamhunga 2, Kariba; Leeny Kasinahama, 16, of Mola Primary School, Chief Mola, Siakobvu; A Yolanda Prisca Chipunza, 9, of 220 Nyamhunga 1, Kariba; and Brace Shambo, 2, of Siakanoka Village, Chief Mola, Siakobvu.

“Two victims are yet to be identified and the Zimbabwe Republic Police continues to work closely with the affected families and relevant stakeholders in the ongoing identification and recovery efforts,” Commissioner Nyathi said.

The 93 identified victims

The police records show that the victims came from communities around Lake Kariba and from towns and villages further away. Their ages range from infants to adults in their 60s. The list also shows how many children were among those who died.

A crossing used for everyday survival

The ferry, known as Mbuya Nehanda, was operated by RIDA under the Office of the President and Cabinet. It was travelling from Kariba towards Chalala when it overturned near Long Island and Musambakaruma Island. The vessel carried passengers and goods, serving people who rely on the lake to reach markets, homes and rural communities along the shoreline.

For those communities, the boat was not simply a passenger service. Villagers and fish traders used it to move food, fishing equipment, household goods and other supplies. Many passengers were travelling with merchandise for small businesses. The ferry formed a vital link between Kariba town and rural Kariba, where road access is limited and the lake is part of everyday life.

Survivors described a journey that deteriorated as the waves grew stronger. They said bags, dishes and other goods began falling into the water. Passengers reportedly urged the captain to turn back as water entered the engine room and poured into one side of the vessel.

“Some of us survived by standing on top of the capsized hull,” Anyway Chambati, one of the surviving crew members, said. “Before it went down, passengers were screaming at us that the boat was flooding, water was pouring into the engine room and goods were spilling out.”

Another survivor said: “We argued with him right at the harbor. We told him the waves were too dangerous. A bag fell overboard before we had even left, and we pointed it out, but he refused to listen.”

A further account described what happened later in the crossing. “About 30 minutes in, we begged again to abort and return, more goods were falling, the wave was getting worse and water was gushing into one side of the boat, but (the captain) just said, ‘My boat has never sunk anyone.’ He even refused to call for help,” the survivor said.

The final number of people aboard remains a central part of the investigation. The ferry’s stated capacity was 90, but a surviving crew member said he counted 153 people, including crew members and infants, before the accident. Disaster officials separately said the vessel carried at least 114 adult passengers and five crew members. Children below the ticketing age may not have appeared in the passenger records, making the final total difficult to establish.

The boat reportedly went down after being struck by strong waves. Investigators are examining the loading of passengers and cargo, the vessel’s operating condition, the weather warnings available before departure, the decisions made on the crossing and the rescue response after the capsizing.

State response and calls for accountability

President Emmerson Mnangagwa declared the disaster a State of Disaster, allowing the Government to mobilise disaster response structures and provide urgent assistance. The response includes funeral services, medical care and psycho-social support for survivors and relatives dealing with the loss.

Civil Protection teams, army boats, police divers and specialised recovery units have worked across the lake. A privately owned helicopter was also used during the emergency response. Divers have continued operating around Long Island and King’s Camp, while teams have worked to overturn the ferry at Musambakaruma Island.

The Department of Civil Protection has also appealed for help identifying the remaining unclaimed woman, believed to be in her early 20s. Her body was initially claimed by a family but was later returned after the family said it was not their relative. She was wearing a grey hoodie branded “New York Police Department”, a black denim skirt, black shoes and black skin-tight leggings. She was taken to Kariba Hospital mortuary as authorities appealed to families with missing relatives to come forward.

Former Mt Pleasant MP Fadzayi Mahere has demanded the arrest of officials who certified the ferry as fit to sail. She said those responsible should face charges over the deaths and criticised the safety arrangements surrounding a service used by poor communities.

“Giving this rickety old can a ‘fitness certificate’ is negligence of the highest order. They’re responsible for causing the death of at least 95 people. They must be charged with culpable homicide. Heads must roll, and those responsible must be jailed for this,” she said.

Mahere also said: “One of the things that pains me the most about the Kariba Ferry disaster is that most of the people on the boat were travelling to rural Kariba, carrying goods for resale in their small businesses.”

“A great number of them were women. Who doesn’t know that all too familiar story of a mother carrying a baby on her back with another in hand going off to buy and sell goods to feed her family? It’s unsurprising that it’s reported that one of the victims of the tragedy was recovered with a baby on her back.”

“This is a community that never asked for handouts or government grants. All they needed was a functional public transport system so that they could work and feed their families yet the Govt failed them,” she said.

“95 dead and counting. If you aren’t outraged, you aren’t paying attention. Their only crime was to be poor and to rely on the only mode of public transport available linking them from Kariba town to Kariba rural,” she said.

The investigation is continuing as families wait for the recovery and identification process to be completed. The names released by police have put faces, ages and home communities to the country’s worst maritime and public transport disaster in modern history. For those still waiting, the search on Lake Kariba remains unfinished.