By Daily Review Online
At least 30 people have drowned and dozens more are missing after two boats collided on the Congo River in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), officials said.
The accident occurred on Sunday evening near the Ngombe-Lukolela area of Equateur Province, northwestern DRC, as the vessels were navigating the river at night.
Equateur Province Interior Minister Crispin Mputu said one of the vessels, a metal boat named Dieu se cache, was travelling from the capital, Kinshasa, while the other, a wooden vessel called HB Super Victoire, was coming from Businga.
“Almost all the passengers on board were trapped underwater, and the boat itself also sank,” Mputu told the state-owned Agence Congolaise Presse.
He said 30 victims had drowned and their bodies had already been buried, while search-and-rescue teams were deployed to locate those still missing.
The exact cause of the collision remains unclear. However, Mputu noted that boat accidents were frequent when vessels travelled at night.
A security officer who witnessed the incident told the Associated Press that the boat travelling from Kinshasa was overloaded with goods.
Boat disasters are common in the DRC, particularly in remote areas where vessels are often overcrowded and operate with little or no safety equipment.
Poor safety standards, inadequate infrastructure and the practice of travelling at night have contributed to numerous deadly accidents on the country’s waterways.
In July, at least 20 people were killed when a wooden boat carrying students returning from state examinations sank in Kasai Province.