Kariba ferry death toll rises to 97 as overloading fears grow

Kariba ferry death toll rises to 97 as overloading fears grow The death toll from the Kariba ferry disaster has risen to 97 after two more bodies were recovered near Fothergill Island and King’s Camp. The latest recoveries bring the confirmed number of people who were aboard the ill-fated vessel to 174, including 77 survivors. […]

Kariba ferry death toll rises to 97 as overloading fears grow

The death toll from the Kariba ferry disaster has risen to 97 after two more bodies were recovered near Fothergill Island and King’s Camp.

The latest recoveries bring the confirmed number of people who were aboard the ill-fated vessel to 174, including 77 survivors.

That means the 41-year-old ferry was carrying 84 people above its stated capacity of 90 — almost twice the number it was designed to carry.

The true number aboard could be even higher, with reports indicating that at least 180 people may have been on the ferry and some passengers remain unaccounted for.

The scale of the disaster has intensified scrutiny over how an ageing vessel could have been allowed to sail so heavily overloaded.

Investigations are expected to examine a range of possible contributing factors, including human error, command failures, technical and operational shortcomings, inadequate safety procedures, overloading and turbulent conditions.

The search for missing passengers and the recovery of bodies is continuing.