HARARE, Zimbabwe – At least 44 people have drowned after an overcrowded ferry capsized on Zimbabwe’s Lake Kariba, police confirmed on Wednesday.

The government ferry, operated by the Rural Infrastructure Development Agency (RIDA), sank in rough weather on Tuesday while carrying 114 adult passengers, five crew members and an unspecified number of children. The vessel had a capacity of 90 people.

Zimbabwe Republic Police updated the death toll on Wednesday afternoon. “The ZRP informs the public that the death toll in the Kariba RIDA boat accident is now 44,” the force said on X.

The civil protection unit (CPU) said 77 people were rescued and 15 bodies were retrieved initially. Two funeral parlours have been engaged to collect the bodies as the search continues for unaccounted people.

The ferry operates between the northern town of Kariba and several islands and fishing villages on the lake. It is one of the worst recorded passenger boat disasters on Lake Kariba, which sits on the border with Zambia more than 300 km northeast of Harare. The lake is the world’s largest man-made lake by volume.

Maxton Kanhema, who was on a small boat that attended the scene on Tuesday afternoon, told AFP the ferry left in bad weather in the morning and may have been hit by a wave, causing its engines to switch off.

“When we were in the waters, then you could see a distress sign and then boats that were close by responded,” Kanhema said. “People were in distress… there were bodies in the water and it was a sad situation to witness. Those that could be rescued were rescued.”

A national park provided a helicopter to help in the rescue effort alongside larger boats and divers from the local area and the army. A specialised aquatic rescue unit was airlifted to the area to aid in the search.

The CPU said the 77 people who had been rescued were taken to Long Island in the middle of the lake.