The death toll from a ferry disaster on Lake Kariba in Zimbabwe has risen to 84, police said on Sunday, as more bodies were recovered. The ferry capsized in strong waves on Tuesday, and 77 people were rescued, according to Zimbabwe's disaster management agency.
Police said the death toll had risen from 72 the previous day. The ferry was authorized to carry 90 people, but estimates had put the number of passengers as high as 153, and the latest official figures suggest the number could be even higher. Police said search efforts were still underway to recover victims identified as missing.
The aging ferry was traveling from the town of Kariba to rural and fishing communities in the country's northwest, where roads are damaged and public transportation is scarce.
Among the dead are 18 children, with the youngest just 1 year old. According to police, 16 of the victims were aged 10 or younger.
Kariba is the world's largest human-made lake by volume, 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. Zimbabwe and Zambia share the lake, with their border running through its middle.