The Zimbabwe Police have reported that the death toll from the capsizing of an overloaded ferry last Wednesday on Lake Kariba has risen to 80 people, an event that led the president of the African country, Emmerson Mnangagwa, to declare a "state of disaster."
Commissioner Paul Nyathi has communicated the discovery in recent hours of eight more bodies, which increases the previous figure of 72 dead, according to a message disseminated this Sunday by the Zimbabwe National Police on their social media.
The vessel, owned by the Rural Agency for Infrastructure Development and covering the route between Kariba and Chalala, capsized after being shaken by strong waves while navigating near Long Island. There were 153 people on board, and authorities continue to search for several missing persons.
The Government, through the Department of Civil Protection, activated the national search and rescue device and deployed a helicopter to support ground operations. In addition, it declared a "state of disaster" under Article 27 of the Civil Protection Law.
Lake Kariba is the largest artificial lake and reservoir in the world by volume. It is located on the Zambezi River, on the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia. In 2014, 26 people, including 24 minors, drowned in the Zambian part of the lake after the sinking of the vessel they were traveling in.