At least four people are feared dead after an overloaded make-shift boat capsized on Lake Kariba while en route from Nyaodza fishing camp heading towards Wafa-Wafa army base.

Rescuers have managed to retrieve one unidentified body of the four people who went missing over the weekend.

One survivor swam to safety amid strong fears the remaining three could have drowned or fallen prey to marine predators such as hippos and crocodiles.

Sources told NewZimbabwe.com the dingy boat with a carrying capacity of two had five occupants on board when it sank Friday afternoon.

According to lake captain, Adan Nyekete, preliminary investigations into the tragedy showed that the vessel was overloaded and motorised against its design specifications.

"The boat capsized because it was overloaded and that it was motorised which must not be the case. A dingy boat uses an oar as opposed to fitting a motor which makes it heavy and unsafe," said Nyekete.

An oar is a pole with a flat blade, used to row or steer a boat through water.

The police sub-aqua unit is conducting a search mission for the missing persons.

Meanwhile, in an unrelated incident, the body of an unidentified man was found with its head and other body parts missing on Lake Kariba, last week.

Police are appealing to those missing relatives to come help identify the remains.