Congo Hit by Major Boat Tragedy; At Least 20 Dead, Many Missing

Congo: Another piece of sad news has emerged from the northwestern region of Congo. At least 20 people have been confirmed dead after a boat loaded with passengers capsized in Lake Mai-Ndombe late Thursday evening. This accident has left both the local people and the administration deeply worried. The boat was on its way from the city of Kiri towards the capital, Kinshasa, and the accident occurred due to a sudden loss of balance between the villages of Bobeni and Lobeke.

What happened after the incident took place?

After the accident, there was chaos on the lakeshore till late at night. People from nearby villages rushed to help in their small boats. Darkness and strong waves of water were making the rescue work more difficult. Many passengers were washed away as soon as they fell into the water and many are still missing. Uneasiness and fear were clearly visible among the people standing on the banks of the lake. Everyone was waiting for the safe return of some acquaintance or family member.

What information is the government giving now?

The Congolese government has not yet released official figures, but local authorities have confirmed about 20 deaths. Mai-Ndombe province governor Kwani Nkoso said he was waiting for a detailed report from rescue teams. He says that the exact number of dead and surviving passengers will be known only when the rescue team completes the search of the entire area of ​​the lake.

The governor also acknowledged that the recurring occurrence of such incidents is extremely worrying and strict measures are necessary to stop them.

After all, why are boat accidents increasing so rapidly?

Boat accidents are nothing new in Congo, but their number has increased rapidly in recent months. The reasons are many—due to bad roads, people depend on cheap wooden boats. The condition of these boats is already weak; on top of that, they are filled many times more than their capacity.

Life jackets are difficult to obtain, and many boats operate at night, when visibility is extremely low. Rescue operations become extremely challenging at night, and sometimes bodies are not found for days.

Many major incidents have happened before

This is not the first tragedy. Earlier this month, a boat capsized, in which 64 people went missing. In September, 193 people died in two major accidents. Also in March, a boat accident took the lives of 25 people, including several local football players.

The people of Congo are facing such heartbreaking news every few weeks. The question remains the same—for how long?