The death toll in a ferry tragedy at the Zambia-Namibia-Botswana border rose to 18 on Thursday, after more bodies from the ill-fated pontoon were pulled out of the Zambezi river by rescue teams.
The state-owned ferry at Kazungula border, 550km south of Lusaka, sank on Wednesday after an overweight South African truck carrying copper concentrates slipped and swept passengers off with it as it plunged into the crocodile-infested river.
Six passengers were rescued and admitted to the general hospital in Zambia’s tourism capital Livingstone while combined military rescue teams from Zambia and Botswana, and the Red Cross, were on Thursday struggling to retrieve bodies trapped underneath the loaded truck.
The driver of the truck, after clearing Zambian customs authorities, failed to respond to signals to stop, according to Works and Supply Minister Ludwig Sondashi.
”The driver just flashed his lights and continued to drive on to the pontoon and lost control,” he said.
The weight of the truck travelling from the Democratic Republic of Congo caused the ferry to tilt over and become extensively damaged. — Sapa-DPA