The death toll from a ferry accident on Lake Kariba in Zimbabwe has risen to 68 after search teams recovered 22 more bodies.
The ferry capsized on Tuesday on the lake, which lies along Zimbabwe’s border with Zambia. Eighteen children were among those killed, according to Zimbabwean police.
Authorities are investigating whether the vessel was overloaded when it capsized during heavy winds.
Officials said the ferry was authorised to carry 90 people but had 114 adults, five crew members and an unspecified number of children on board.
Seventy-seven people were rescued, the civil protection unit said on Wednesday.
Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Muchechesi, who commands the boat regiment involved in the search, said rescuers were continuing to recover bodies.
“So far today we have managed to take 22 bodies,” he said. “We are confident that we will manage to retrieve all the bodies.”
Most passengers were believed to be villagers and fish traders who lived around Lake Kariba.
Survivors said they pleaded with the ferry driver to turn back after the vessel began taking on water shortly after departure.
Hundreds of people gathered at the district hospital in Kariba to identify relatives and loved ones. A public memorial service was held in the lakeside town on Thursday before burials began.
