Kinshasa, September 27 (Udaipur Kiran) : A tragic incident occurred in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) when a boat capsized in Lake Kivu, resulting in the deaths of 12 individuals and leaving several others missing. The accident took place between Saturday night and early Sunday morning, shortly after the vessel departed from Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu province.
Initial reports from local media indicate that over 80 people were on board the boat at the time of the accident. By Sunday morning, rescue teams had recovered 12 bodies and managed to save five survivors, but a significant number of passengers remain unaccounted for. Search and rescue operations are ongoing, although the cause of the capsizing has yet to be determined.
This incident marks the second such tragedy in just two days. On Thursday, September 24, another boat capsized on Lake Tanganyika, claiming 41 lives while 49 individuals were rescued.
Reports suggest that the boat overturned near the village of Mapera in Congo, carrying approximately 100 passengers along with cargo. Due to the extensive network of rivers and lakes across the country, many people in the DRC rely on boat transportation as a primary and cost-effective means of travel. However, frequent accidents are attributed to factors such as aging vessels and overcrowding.
The DRC is one of the world’s poorest countries, with over 100 million people lacking access to basic services. This recent capsizing is the second maritime disaster on the Kigoma-Kalemi route in less than a month. Earlier, on August 28, a fuel-laden vessel named ‘MV Pacific’ caught fire at the Kigoma port, resulting in an explosion that killed six crew members, with a seventh reported missing. The ship was used to transport fuel between Kigoma and Kalemi.
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