At Least 41 Dead After Boat Sinks on Lake Tanganyika
At least 41 people have died and 49 were rescued after a vessel carrying about 100 people and cargo sank on Lake Tanganyika in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
At least 41 people have died after a vessel sank on Lake Tanganyika in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, while search operations continued for passengers who may still be missing.
Table Of Content
The boat was travelling from Kigoma, Tanzania, to Kalemie in the DRC when it reportedly capsized near the Congolese village of Mapera in Tanganyika province. About 100 people and cargo were believed to have been aboard.
According to the reported figures, 49 people were rescued. The exact number of passengers still unaccounted for was not immediately available.
Survivor describes moments before sinking
Annie Moyoni, a survivor who spoke to Radio Okapi, said passengers were awakened at about 1am and discovered that the boat was tilting to one side.
The cause of the capsizing remains unclear. Norris Mulongoyi, the transport minister for Tanganyika province, told The Associated Press that search operations were under way to locate remaining passengers.
Second reported vessel loss in less than a month
The incident is the second reported loss involving a Congolese vessel on the Kigoma–Kalemie route in less than a month.
On August 28, the MV Pacifique caught fire and exploded at the port of Kigoma while it was being loaded with fuel, according to Radio Okapi, which cited port authorities. The vessel operated between Kigoma and Kalemie and transported fuel. Six crew members were reported killed, while another was reported missing.
In July, at least 20 people were also reported dead after a wooden boat carrying students returning from state examinations sank in central DRC.
Safety concerns on Congolese waterways
Boat travel is described as one of the cheapest ways for many people in the DRC to move around, amid limited infrastructure serving the country’s more than 100 million residents.
The Associated Press has reported that hundreds of people have been killed in boat disasters in the DRC in recent years. Vessels are often overloaded and may lack life jackets, according to the report.
Authorities had not announced the cause of the Lake Tanganyika disaster or provided a final account of those on board as search efforts continued.
No Comment! Be the first one.