At least 44 people have died after a passenger ferry capsized on Lake Kariba in Zimbabwe, Africa.

According to foreign media reports including AP and AFP news agencies and local online outlet NewZimbabwe on the 12th (local time), the vessel Mbuya Nehanda—carrying at least 121 passengers and crew—capsized the previous afternoon near an island used as a fishing spot on the lake while traveling from the lakeside city of Kariba to Chalala.

Police and rescue authorities stated that 77 people have been rescued so far, and 44 bodies have been recovered.

Authorities expressed concern that the number of missing and dead could rise further because children aged five and under were allowed to board without tickets, making it difficult to determine the exact number of people on board.

The vessel, operated by the government agency Rural Infrastructure Development Agency (RIDA), has a maximum capacity of 90 passengers.

Authorities confirmed that the accident vessel was carrying passengers in excess of its capacity at the time of operation.

It is reported that 114 tickets were issued for the trip.

Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa declared a state of disaster on this day in connection with the accident.

Consequently, the government can provide special assistance and other support for residents affected by the disaster. Lake Kariba, the world's largest artificial reservoir by water volume, is located on the border with Zambia and was formed in the 1950s by constructing a dam on the Zambezi River, stretching approximately 220 kilometers long and up to 40 kilometers wide.

(Photo: AFP, Yonhap News)