KARIBA, Aug. 17 (NewsDay Live) — Families of people still missing after the Mbuya Nehanda ferry disaster are maintaining daily vigils at Kariba Hospital, clinging to hope that their loved ones will be found as recovery operations continue on Lake Kariba.
Two more bodies were retrieved this afternoon, bringing the confirmed death toll to 86, up from 84 the previous day. With 67 survivors accounted for, dozens of passengers remain missing, leaving relatives in a state of uncertainty.
For many families, the hospital mortuary has become a place of both grief and fragile hope, as each new recovery announcement triggers a rush of anxious relatives hoping for closure.
Among them is Miriam Tsodzo, whose brother went missing in the August 11 ferry disaster.
“I am coming here daily and every time it is announced that some bodies have been retrieved, I join the mortuary queue hoping that I will find his body but nothing has come so far,” Tsodzo said, her voice heavy with emotion. “I keep praying and hoping that one day, but soon, he will be located so that we close the chapter.”
The emotional toll is deepening with each passing day. Every announcement by the Civil Protection Unit (CPU) that additional bodies have been recovered sends families rushing to the hospital, only for many to return home without answers.
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Hospital officials say the condition of the bodies being retrieved is worsening.
“Bodies that were retrieved yesterday had already decomposed and the situation gets worse day by day as the weather pattern changes,” a hospital official said. Rising temperatures and warm lake waters are accelerating decomposition, making identification increasingly difficult and narrowing the window for recovery teams.
For families, the absence of closure is the most painful burden. In many communities, traditional burial rites cannot proceed without a body, leaving relatives in prolonged mourning and financial strain.
“We just want to bury him with dignity,” Tsodzo said. “Even if it is just to see him one last time. This waiting is killing us.”
Mashonaland West Provincial Minister Marion Chombo said government is aware of the suffering and is intensifying efforts to account for all missing persons.
“Government is doing frantic efforts to make sure that everyone missing is accounted for,” Chombo said. “We know families cannot rest until their loved ones are found. CPU, divers and other teams are on the ground daily and we will not stop until we account for all.”
CPU teams, divers, and local fishermen continue search and recovery operations around the accident site, but each day without full results deepens despair among families camped at Kariba Hospital.
As the search enters its second week, relatives say they will continue their daily vigils. For them, the hospital mortuary queue has become a ritual of prayer and waiting — a place where hope and heartbreak meet, and where each new day carries the possibility of finally bringing their loved ones home.