00:00Hundreds of people gathered in northern Zimbabwe for a memorial service honoring victims of one
00:06of the worst passenger boat disasters on Lake Kariba. At least 44 people died after a government
00:12ferry capsized in rough weather while dozens were rescued from the wreckage.
00:20The ferry engines were filled with water because of the heavy winds and eventually they failed,
00:28save for one. The boat began to sink and I tried to give life jackets to people on the ferry
00:40and I
00:41managed to only give not more than 10. The ferry was carrying 114 adults, 5 crew members and an unknown
00:53number of children exceeding its capacity of 90 passengers. Survivors said the vessel was
01:00struggling in increasingly rough conditions before it went down.
01:07I just hung on to some window on the boat as it sank and then I fell into the water.
01:18I just moved my hands even though I could not swim but I drowned several times until I called out
01:28to
01:28some young man to help and he pulled me to safety.
01:35The ferry was a vital link for communities, traders and fishermen around the vast lake. President
01:42Emerson Nangagwa declared the disaster a national tragedy saying it had exposed serious weaknesses
01:49in the country's maritime rescue capabilities.
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