Divers recovered three more bodies from Lake Kariba late on Saturday, bringing to 72 the number of people officially confirmed to have died from the RIDA Mbuya Nehanda boat accident.
In an update late on Saturday, 15th August, the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) said that as of 8 pm, the death toll from the accident had risen to 72.
“ZRP update as of 2000 hours tonight. The Kariba RIDA boat accident death toll is now 72 after the recovery of 3 more bodies late on the 15th of August 2026. Meanwhile, the identification of the bodies recovered today is in progress,” the ZRP said.
The police said identification of the 26 bodies recovered on Saturday is in progress.
It is not clear how many people are missing, as the official number of people who were on board, said to be 119 or 120, differs from the 153 mentioned by a RIDA security guard in the aftermath of the accident.
As a result, there are concerns that the exact number of missing people is not known, making it difficult to know when all the bodies have been recovered and how long the search will take.
The tragedy occurred on Tuesday, 11th August 2026, when the boat capsized on Lake Kariba while en route from Kariba to Chalala.
The vessel, which is used to transport fishing communities, their catch and basic goods across the lake, was reportedly overloaded with passengers and cargo when it sank.
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