At least 15 people have died and 27 others are missing after an overloaded ferry capsized on Lake Kariba in Zimbabwe.
The national disaster management agency said 77 people were rescued and reached a small island on the lake, while boats were being deployed to transport them back to safety.
An underwater search-and-rescue team was also deployed to the lake, which forms part of the border between Zimbabwe and neighbouring Zambia.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, Zimbabwe’s Civil Protection Unit said 114 adult passengers were confirmed to have been on board based on registered ticket sales, along with five crew members.
The agency, however, warned that an unknown number of children below the ticketing age may also have been on board and had yet to be accounted for.
According to the agency, the ferry had a carrying capacity of 90 people, meaning the vessel was carrying more passengers than its approved limit at the time of the incident.
It recommended that the incident be officially declared a disaster to facilitate a broader response to the emergency.
Earlier, Zimbabwean police said a rescue operation was underway but provided no further details on the incident.
Lake Kariba is one of the world’s largest artificial lakes by volume. It was created in the late 1950s and early 1960s following the construction of a dam across the Zambezi River and stretches for more than 200 kilometres (124 miles) in length and up to 40 kilometres (25 miles) in width in some areas.