Zimbabwe ferry disaster death toll climbs to 68, including 18 children

The death toll from this week's ferry disaster on Lake Kariba in Zimbabwe has risen to 68, police said on Saturday, after rescuers recovered 22 more bodies. Among the dead are 18 children, according to a police list that showed 16 of the child victims were aged 10 or younger, with the youngest just one year old.

The ferry capsized on Tuesday in strong waves while traveling from Kariba town to rural and fishing communities in the country's northwest, an area where roads are damaged and public transportation is scarce. Authorities have not confirmed how many people were aboard or how many remain missing, though estimates have put the number of passengers as high as 153. The ferry's capacity is listed as 90.

Zimbabwe's disaster management agency has said 77 people were rescued. Initially, authorities said the number of children aboard was unknown because those below ticketing age were not included in passenger estimates.

Lake Kariba, the world's largest human-made lake by volume, was created by damming the Zambezi River in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It stretches more than 200 kilometers (124 miles) and is up to 40 kilometers (25 miles) wide in places. The lake is shared by Zimbabwe and Zambia, with their border running through its middle.