DRC: Dozens Killed, Hundreds Missing In Congo River Boat Disaster

At least 60 people have died and hundreds are missing after a boat capsized in the Congo River in the western Democratic Republic of the Congo DRC, according to a government official. Mr. Steve Mbikayi, the minister for humanitarian action, said on Monday 700 people were on board when the vessel that sunk near the village of

Longola Ekoti, in Mai-Ndombe province, the previous night. So far the rescue team has recovered 60 lifeless bodies and 300 survivors. There are still several missing after this shipwreck, Mr. Mbikayi said. The vessel had departed from the capital, Kinshasa and was heading to Equator province. The real main cause of the sinking

remains the overload of goods and the excess number of passengers in the whaling boat, the minister said, adding that night navigation also played a role in the sinking. Boat accidents are very common in the vast mineral-rich country because the vessels are very often overloaded with passengers and cargo. Most of the passengers travelling on vessels also often do not wear

also life jackets. Last month, at least three people, two children and one woman, drowned after a passenger boat sank in Lake Kivu and in the May 2020, 10 people, including an eight 8 year old girl, died after the leisure boat they were travelling on capsized in Lake Kivu. In the July 2010, more than 135 people died after a boat capsized in the western province of Bandundu province.