Second Body Recovered from Kariba Boat Accident

Rescue teams have recovered a second body from the five passengers who drowned in a boat mishap in Lake Kariba Friday.

Search efforts have been hampered by the immense depth and vastness of the lake making it difficult to map the area of search. A source said the search for the remaining three bodies continued into Monday afternoon.

Those who partook in the rescue operation say they are unable to tell the exact location the accident occurred. The search had to be called off yesterday, with hopes the bodies may resurface today. 

 Straddling the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe, Lake Kariba is 223 kilometres long and stretches 40 kilometres across at its widest point. It is the world’s largest reservoir—a major source of drinking water and energy in Africa.

 Water levels on Lake Kariba have fallen steadily as southern Africa has endured a long-term drought.

Bodies may take between a day to six days before floating to the surface depending on conditions. The area where the accident occurred has no other prominent features.

Hope was raised Sunday when the body of four-year-old Obey Mwinde was found at around 9.30 am. The child drowned together with his father.

Ziya Kusena’s body was the first to be found on the day of the tragedy while floating on the surface.

Meanwhile, Clever Muwengwa who is believed to be the owner of the boat has been arrested for negligence.

He now faces at least four charges including culpable homicide, operating an unregistered boat and carrying passengers who had no life jackets.

Muwengwa together with two others managed to escape after they grabbed three of the five life jackets on the boat.