The death toll from the capsizing of a Zimbabwean government ferry on Lake Kariba rose to 94 on Tuesday, police announced, adding that two more bodies had been recovered a week after the accident.

Local Government Minister Daniel Garwe stated on Tuesday that the shipwreck was due to "negligence and human error on the part of the ship's captain" during the cabinet meeting, while also announcing the opening of an investigation.

The overloaded boat capsized during a period of bad weather and high waves on the vast stretch of water separating Zimbabwe from Zambia. It is one of the deadliest shipwrecks in this southern African country since its independence.

Among the 83 deceased who have been identified are 30 children under the age of ten, including a one-month-old infant, according to police.

A weather service alert advised against navigation that day, according to the government.

The ship had a capacity of only 90 passengers, according to authorities. In addition to the 94 bodies recovered, 77 people were rescued in the first hours following the shipwreck, local civil defense officials announced.

First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa travelled to Kariba, about 350 km from the capital Harare, on Tuesday to offer her support to the families of victims, according to images from local media.

In addition to replacing the ferry, President Emmerson Mnangagwa ordered the urgent repair of the road linking Kariba and Chalala -- the route taken by the wrecked vessel.

The tragedy casts a harsh light on the state of infrastructure in the country, with the ship, for example, having been operating for 41 years, according to local media.

"The boat had a certificate of seaworthiness, issued by the Ministry of Transport," Minister Daniel Garwe assured on Tuesday.

A survivor told AFP journalists on Thursday that passengers had expressed their concerns to the captain about the rough waters and the obvious overloading of the boat, but that he had ignored them.

"I have been taking this ferry for more than five years, but this time it was different. There were so many drums of diesel, food and other luggage on board," said Itayi Marumisa, who is from the village of Mola.

Lake Kariba is the largest artificial lake in the world by volume.