At least 44 people have died after an overcrowded ferry capsized on Zimbabwe’s Lake Kariba, with authorities continuing the search for possible survivors and missing passengers.

The ferry, operated by the Rural Infrastructure Development Agency, overturned on Tuesday while carrying 114 adult passengers, five crew members and an unspecified number of children.

According to Zimbabwe’s Civil Protection Unit, the vessel had a capacity of 90 people, indicating that it was carrying more passengers than its stated limit.

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Authorities initially reported that 77 people had been rescued and 15 bodies recovered. However, the Zimbabwe Republic Police later announced on Wednesday that the death toll had risen to 44.

“The ZRP informs the public that the death toll in the Kariba RIDA boat accident is now 44,” the police said in a statement posted on X.

A witness, Maxton Kanhema, told AFP that the ferry had departed in bad weather and may have been hit by a strong wave, causing its engines to switch off.

He said rescuers responded after a distress signal was seen and that bodies could be seen in the water.

“People were in distress… There were bodies in the water, and it was a sad situation to witness. Those that could be rescued were rescued,” Kanhema said.

A national park provided a helicopter to support the rescue operation, while larger boats, local divers and soldiers also joined the search.

The Civil Protection Unit said a specialised aquatic rescue team had been airlifted to the area. The 77 rescued passengers were taken to Long Island, located in the middle of the lake.

Two funeral parlours were also engaged to collect the recovered bodies as the search continued for anyone still unaccounted for.

The ferry serves communities between the northern town of Kariba and several islands and fishing villages around Lake Kariba.

Lake Kariba, which lies along the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia, is more than 300 kilometres northeast of Zimbabwe’s capital, Harare. It is the world’s largest man-made lake by volume.

The incident is one of the worst recorded passenger boat disasters on Lake Kariba.

The Ebonyi State House of Assembly has passed a bill seeking to regulate house rents, estate agents’ fees and scrap trading across the state.

The bill, titled “The Ebonyi State Sale of Scraps, House Rent and Agent Fees Regulation Law, 2026,” was passed during plenary presided over by the Speaker, Moses Odunwa.

The legislation, which will take effect if assented to by Governor Francis Nwifuru, is aimed at curbing vandalism, environmental degradation and exploitative practices in the housing sector.

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Under the proposed law, the purchase, sale, possession for sale, transportation or disposal of metal and electrical scraps would be prohibited except by licensed dealers operating in accordance with regulations made under the law.

Offenders could face up to two years’ imprisonment or a fine of up to ₦500,000.

The legislation also seeks to regulate activities in the housing sector by limiting estate agents’ fees to not more than two per cent of the gross sum of a property transaction.

It further requires landlords to comply with standard rents prescribed by the governor for applicable categories of accommodation.

Estate agents operating in the state capital would also be required to register with the Ministry of Capital City to promote transparency and professionalism in property transactions.

Presenting the bill, the House Leader, Kingsley Ikoro, said the legislation was important in tackling vandalism, environmental degradation and exploitation in the housing sector.

“This legislation is very important to us as a people because it will help check vandalism of critical assets, environmental degradation and exploitative practices in the housing sector,” Ikoro said.

Contributing to the debate, lawmakers including Victor Nwoke, Aloysius Nwodo, Oluchukwu Ezeali, Friday Ogbuewu and Celestine Ogba described the legislation as timely and necessary to tackle scrap theft and arbitrary rent increases.

Speaker Odunwa also noted that scrap dealers had caused considerable havoc in society, expressing optimism that the legislation would promote public safety and restore sanity to property transactions.

The bill was considered clause by clause by the Committee of the Whole, with lawmakers correcting identified grammatical errors before unanimously passing it.

The Assembly also adopted the state Auditor-General’s report on the consolidated financial statements of the Ebonyi Government for the year ended December 31, 2025.

Meanwhile, the lawmakers screened and confirmed nine nominees of Governor Nwifuru as coordinator and members of the management committee of Amasiri Development Centre in Afikpo Local Government Area.

The screening followed the reinstatement of the development centre, which had earlier been disbanded and delisted by the Ebonyi Government.

The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has dispelled recruitment rumours, cautioning the public against fake and AI-generated employment letters being circulated in its name.

It went further to issue a caveat against fraudsters allegedly demanding money from unsuspecting members of the public under the guise of helping them secure jobs at the NUPRC.

The warning was contained in a statement issued by the NUPRC Head of Media and Corporate Communications, Eniola Akinkuotu, on X on Tuesday.

According to the commission, it had received reports of fake employment letters bearing the names of people unknown to the organisation.

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It also said some criminal elements had been extorting money from members of the public by falsely claiming to have connections that could secure employment at the commission.

The NUPRC said it had reported the activities of the suspected fraudsters to law enforcement agencies for investigation.

The commission urged members of the public to exercise caution and verify any employment-related information before taking action or making payments.

“The NUPRC wishes to inform the general public about the proliferation of fake and AI-generated employment letters bearing the names of persons unknown to the Commission,” the statement said.

The commission added that reports had also reached it that “some unscrupulous and criminal elements have been extorting money from unsuspecting members of the public under the pretext of helping them to secure employment at the Commission.”

The NUPRC said the activities of the suspected fraudsters had been reported to law enforcement agencies, with the commission awaiting the outcome of the investigation.

It, however, stated categorically that there was currently no recruitment exercise ongoing at the commission.

“The NUPRC states categorically that there is no ongoing recruitment exercise at the Commission,” it said.

The commission further explained that whenever it decides to recruit, the process would be conducted in accordance with applicable laws and government regulations.

“However, when the Commission does decide to recruit, it will be done strictly in line with the extant laws and government regulations,” it added.

The NUPRC therefore advised job seekers and other members of the public to be wary of individuals requesting money or presenting questionable employment documents purportedly issued by the commission.