Over 80 dead in eastern DR Congo boat tragedy

Authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have confirmed that at least 87 people were killed after a boat carrying more than 200 passengers capsized in a lake in the eastern part of the country on Thursday, October 3.

The unnamed vessel was transiting Lake Kivu between the provinces of South Kivu and North Kivu and was attempting to berth at the Port of Kituku when it capsized.

Some residents who witnessed the tragedy said they noticed that the boat was already overcrowded as it was approaching the port. The vessel became unstable as a result, and it overturned while still approximately 700 metres from the shore.

A number of passengers reportedly jumped into the water and swam to shore as the boat became partially submerged. Some were eventually safely rescued.

Search and rescue (SAR) teams initially recovered the bodies of 50 deceased victims from the surrounding waters within hours of the incident. Another 37 bodies were found as the SAR effort lasted into Thursday evening.

The capsizing is the latest in a series of fatal passenger vessel mishaps to occur in the DRC since the beginning of the year. In the third quarter alone, over 69 people were killed in two separate river boat capsizings in Maniema and Maï-Ndombe provinces.

As with the latest tragedy in South Kivu, the two earlier incidents have also been blamed on overloading.