The Democratic Republic of Congo’s reliance on river transport has grown as security issues and poor infrastructure make road travel increasingly unsafe.
At least 25 people have died, including children, after an overcrowded boat capsized on a river in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), officials and local residents said.
The vessel, carrying more than 100 passengers, departed from the town of Inongo, northeast of the capital Kinshasa, but capsized just a few hundred metres into its journey along the Fimi River on Tuesday. Dozens of people are still missing, authorities said.
“There was overloading at roof level and, as far as the lifeless human bodies are concerned, at least 25 have been recovered so far,” said David Kalemba, Inongo’s river commissioner.
The capsized boat was also loaded with goods, according to Alex Mbumba, a resident of the area. “Among the dead are children, but it’s difficult to give an exact death toll at the moment as … the boat had a lot of passengers,” said Mbumba.
This tragedy marks the fourth such incident in Maï-Ndombe province this year. The region, which is heavily reliant on river transportation due to limited roads, has seen repeated warnings from officials about the dangers of overloading vessels.
Despite vows to enforce safety regulations, remote areas face challenges as many residents cannot afford to take public transport on the few available roads.
In October, at least 78 people drowned when an overloaded boat sank in eastern DRC, while a similar incident near Kinshasa in June claimed 80 lives. These frequent accidents have led to renewed calls for the government to improve safety measures.
“The government must act to improve safety on the waters of our province because navigation conditions are dangerous,” added Mbumba.
The capsizing of boats have become increasingly common in DRC, as deteriorating security has pushed more people to rely on river transport rather than roads, which are often blocked by deadly clashes between security forces and rebels.
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