KINSHASA: At least 28 people are reportedly dead and dozens missing as a devastating shipwreck occurred in northwest DR Congo when a riverboat, carrying over 200 passengers, sank in the Congo River. The boat, which was en route from the city of Mbandaka to the Bolomba Territory in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s northwest Equateur province, sank late Friday night.
Provincial authorities confirmed the death toll, with 28 bodies recovered from the river. However, the total number of passengers aboard remained uncertain as the official list had disappeared in the incident. Civil society organization “Generation Consciente” reported a higher toll, stating that their teams had counted 49 bodies, with around 100 people still missing. Approximately 20 to 30 survivors were left at the port, having lost all their belongings in the tragedy.
The ill-fated boat was not only carrying passengers but also goods and construction materials for a government program, according to Joseph Boyoko Lokondo, a leader of the organization. Overloading was cited as a possible cause for the accident, making navigation difficult for the vessel.
Overload Blamed for Shipwreck in DR Congo
Opposition leader and presidential candidate, Moise Katumbi, expressed his sorrow over the incident, attributing the tragedy to a government that allows the overnight operation of dilapidated and overloaded boats. The lack of practicable roads in the vast Central African nation often leads to travel on lakes and rivers, where shipwrecks occur frequently, resulting in heavy casualties.
In 2019, a shipwreck on Lake Kivu claimed about 100 lives in the eastern part of the country. Following the tragedy, President Felix Tshisekedi called for mandatory life jackets for all passengers, a safety measure that is rarely enforced. He promised the delivery of new boats, but this pledge remains unfulfilled.
