Overloaded ferry capsizes on Lake Kariba, killing at least 15

At least 15 people are dead and 27 more are missing after an overloaded ferry capsized on Lake Kariba in Zimbabwe on Tuesday, according to the country's Civil Protection Unit.

The agency said 77 people were rescued and taken to an island on the lake. However, officials noted that the confirmed passenger list — based on ticket sales — shows 114 adults and five crew members were aboard. The vessel's official capacity was 90 people.

Authorities cautioned that an unknown number of children below ticketing age may also have been on the ferry, meaning the actual death toll could rise.

Local lawmaker Mutsa Murombedzi shared video of the vessel departing, with onlookers expressing concern about whether the ageing boat could handle strong waves. Rural communities rely on such ferries to travel across the lake to the town of Kariba.

A rescue operation involving speedboats and a helicopter was underway, with state broadcaster ZBC showing footage of boats approaching what appeared to be an overturned vessel.

Lake Kariba, the world's largest man-made lake by volume, forms part of the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia. It was created in the late 1950s and early 1960s when a dam wall was built on the Zambezi River, flooding a valley to create a body of water stretching more than 200 kilometers in length.