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Lake Kariba 2026: Zimbabwe's Deadliest Ferry Disas

By Steph
Lake Kariba 2026: Zimbabwe's Deadliest Ferry Disas
Steph
Steph
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Capacity

90 passengers

Aboard (est.)

up to 153 passengers and crew

Deaths confirmed

97

Rescued

77

Children killed

at least 18

Age of vessel

41 years (built 1985, Denmark)

Last inspection

June 17, 2026 (7 weeks before sinking)

Certified Seven Weeks Before It Sank

On August 11, 2026, the passenger ferry *Mbuya Nehanda* capsized on Lake Kariba in northern Zimbabwe, killing at least 97 people. It is the deadliest transport accident in the country's history, and the deadliest boat disaster on Lake Kariba since the reservoir was filled in 1963. The ferry was a 41-year-old vessel, one of three built at Struer Shipyard in Denmark and shipped to Zimbabwe in 1985. It had been inspected and issued a certificate of survey on June 17, 2026 (certificate number 183254), just seven weeks before it went under. It was authorised to carry 90 passengers. It was carrying at least 114 adults, five crew members, and an unspecified number of children below ticketing age. Some reports put the total at 153. The ferry left Kariba town for the rural community of Chalala, a route with no road alternative worth speaking of. A safety warning advising boats not to sail because of dangerous waves was in force. Passengers asked the crew to turn back. The request was refused.

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When the boat capsized, most of the people scrambled to get the life jackets but most of them did not even know how to use them. Our relatives were swept in another direction and they sank because we were not in a position to help them.

"

Chance Siyamavhu

Aug 11, morning | Passengers board the Mbuya Nehanda in Kariba town. The ferry, licensed for 90, carries at least 114 adults, 5 crew and an unknown number of children. A safety warning is in force.
Waves wash over the deck. One engine is already dead. The bilge pump floods. The second engine stalls. The ferry turns broadside to the waves and capsizes near Long Island.
Rescue boats and 40-plus divers deploy. 77 people are pulled from the water. At least 18 of the 97 killed are children; the youngest is 14 months old.
Death toll reaches 44 as more bodies are recovered. Zimbabwe declares a national disaster.
Survivors speak to press. Chance Siyamavhu, 45: he lost his best friend and seven relatives. Former crew Anmore Chambati says he could hand out only 10 life jackets before the boat went under.
Death toll rises to 92. Search operations continue. President Mnangagwa says the disaster exposed serious deficiencies.

What the state already knew. Five years before the disaster, the Office of the President and Cabinet had acknowledged persistent breakdowns in the ageing Lake Kariba ferry fleet and announced plans for refurbishment. Those plans did not produce a newer boat. The *Mbuya Nehanda* was still sailing in 2026 with one working engine. Travel by boat is the only practical link between Kariba town and the Chalala communities: roads are poor or non-existent. The people who depend on this route had no othe

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This tragedy exposed serious deficiencies that needed to be addressed immediately.

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President Emmerson Mnangagwa