The wreckage of the RIDA Mbuya Nehanda ferry, which capsized on Lake Kariba on 11 August, was on Tuesday pulled from the water and towed back to the mainland.
The recovery will facilitate investigations into what is now Zimbabwe’s worst maritime disaster, in which 97 people died.
The salvage operation had been expected to take at least seven days, but the team overcame anticipated challenges and completed the retrieval ahead of schedule.
New images show the battered blue vessel — its hull still bearing the marking “Mbuya Nehanda, KF 551, Kariba DDF” — being secured by a heavy-duty rig fitted with a gantry and crane system.
Smaller civilian boats could be seen moving around the wreck as it was hauled alongside other vessels moored at the mainland.
According to preliminary reports presented to Cabinet, the Mbuya Nehanda was carrying as many as 180 passengers, along with heavy cargo, when it departed Andora Harbour for Chalala fishing camps.
According to government officials, the boat’s authorised capacity was 90 passengers, although some reports indicate that it was certified to carry only 50 passengers.
Investigators further allege that the ferry was allowed to sail despite severe weather warnings issued by the Meteorological Services Department over strong south-westerly winds locally known as the Binga Wave.
About 30 minutes into the journey, rough waters reportedly breached the deck, submerged the bilge pump and caused the engines to fail before the vessel eventually capsized.
Survivors have said they pleaded with crew members to turn back or seek shelter at nearby islands as conditions worsened, but their requests were allegedly ignored.
