At least 78 people died in the sinking of an overloaded boat with 278 passengers on board on Lake Kivu on Thursday in eastern Congo, a local governor announced.
According to Jean-Jacques Purusi, governor of the South Kivu province, the death toll is provisional and the number of deaths could rise. He spoke by phone with The Associated Press hours after the tragedy.
The boat, overloaded with passengers, sank while trying to dock a few meters from the port of Kituku, according to witnesses. He was traveling from Minova, in the province of South Kivu, to Goma, in the province of North Kivu.
Earlier in the day, witnesses said 10 people survived and were taken to a local hospital. Local authorities later reported that up to 50 people had been rescued. Search and rescue efforts continued Thursday.
It was the most recent fatal boat accident in the central African country, where overcrowding on vessels is often to blame. Maritime regulations are also often not respected.
Congolese authorities have often warned against overloading and promised to punish those who violate maritime transport security measures. But in remote areas where most passengers come from, many cannot afford public transport due to the few roads available.
Last June, an overloaded boat sank near the capital, Kinshasa, and 80 passengers lost their lives. In January, 22 people died on Lake Maî-Ndombe and in April 2023, six were killed and 64 disappeared on the same Lake Kivu.
Witnesses to Thursday’s tragedy said the boat was visibly overloaded.
Victims’ families and Goma residents gathered at Kituku port in Goma, accusing authorities of negligence in the face of growing insecurity in the region.
Since the fighting between the armed forces and the M23 rebels made the road between the towns of Goma and Minova impassable, forcing the closure of passage to trucks transporting food, many traders have resorted to maritime transport on Lake Kivu. This latter solution is considered safer than road traffic, threatened by insecurity.
But according to Elia Asumani, a shipping agent who works on this line, the situation has become dangerous. “We are afraid,” he told the AP. This shipwreck was predictable. »
Bienfait Sematumba, 27, said he lost four members of his family in the sinking. “They are all dead. I’m alone now, he said, sobbing. If the authorities had ended the war, this shipwreck would never have happened. »