A survivor of the Lake Kariba ferry disaster has described the desperate struggle for survival after the overloaded vessel overturned in choppy waters, killing at least 46 people.
Chance Siyamavhu, 45, told AFP that he watched helplessly as passengers fought to escape the sinking ferry after it capsized on Tuesday.
The disaster is one of Zimbabwe’s worst passenger boat accidents in recent years.
“Thank God that a wave pushed the sinking vessel and we managed to climb on top,” Siyamavhu said at a memorial service in the lakeside town of Kariba, near the Zambian border.
From the upturned vessel, Siyamavhu said he watched passengers scramble for life jackets, many of whom did not know how to use them.
“Most people could not make it,” he said.
Siyamavhu said seven of his relatives and his best friend were among those who died.
He described the anguish of watching relatives being swept away, saying survivors were unable to reach them.
“Our relatives were swept in another direction and they sank because we were not in a position to help them,” he said.
The emotional memorial service was attended by dozens of mourners, with 44 coffins displayed as police announced that the death toll had risen to 46.
Police said the names of those who died would be released in due course.
Authorities said the ferry was licensed to carry 90 people but was carrying 114 adults and five crew members, as well as an unspecified number of children.
The Civil Protection Unit said 77 people had been rescued, while concerns remained that additional passengers could still be unaccounted for.
Survivors also said they had pleaded with the captain to turn the ferry around after it began taking on water.
Anymore Chambati, a security official who was aboard the vessel, said he attempted to distribute life jackets as the situation deteriorated.
“I managed to only give not more than 10,” he told AFP.
Chambati said heavy winds caused water to enter the ferry’s engines, eventually disabling all but one of them.
The circumstances surrounding the disaster are expected to come under scrutiny as authorities work to establish what caused the ferry to overturn and whether overcrowding and weather conditions contributed to the tragedy.
The disaster has left families mourning across communities around Lake Kariba, where ferries provide an important transport link for villagers and fish traders.