The boat, which provides transport between the northern town of Kariba and several islands and fishing camps, overturned after hitting strong waves.
Lake Kariba lies on Zimbabwe’s border with Zambia, more than 300 kilometres northeast of the capital Harare.
It is the world’s largest man-made lake by volume.
The ferry “with 90 people and five crew members has capsized in Lake Kariba”, police said.
One witness told AFP that the boat left as normal in the morning in bad weather, and that a wave may have hit the boat, causing its engines to switch off.
“When we were in the waters, then you could see a distress sign and then boats that were close by responded,” said Maxton Kanhema.
Kanhema said the Matusado National Park provided a helicopter to help in the rescue effort alongside bigger boats and divers from the local area and the army.
“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,” he added.
“However, due to the bad weather, the responses were a bit late,” he said. “Getting to the boat took time and unfortunately lives were lost.”
Kanhema said “almost 60” were said to have been rescued, with the bodies of those who died expected to be taken to Kariba for identification.
Police said more details would be released “in due course”. (AFP)
