Zimbabwe police reported that the death toll from a capsized ferry on Lake Kariba rose to 68 after 22 additional bodies were recovered on Saturday.

The ferry capsized on Tuesday on the border with Zambia, and an investigation suggested it overturned during heavy winds while overloaded.

Authorities said the vessel was authorized for 90 passengers but was carrying 114 adults, five crew members and an unspecified number of children, including 18 children who died.

Lt Col Joseph Muchechesi, commander of the boat regiment, said the search operation was continuing and that all bodies were expected to be retrieved.

Seventy‑seven people were rescued, and families gathered at the district hospital in Kariba to identify the deceased.

A public memorial service was held in the lakeside town on Thursday, followed by burials.

Survivors recounted pleading with the driver to turn back as water began to fill the boat soon after departure.

Lake Kariba, created in the 1950s by damming the Zambezi River, is the world’s largest manmade lake by volume.

Previous incidents include a 2014 capsizing in Zambia that killed 26 people, mostly children, and a 2021 accident on the Zimbabwean side that resulted in five drownings.