41 Killed After Boat Capsizes on Lake Tanganyika

A ferry is docked in Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, on 8 October, 2024.

At least 41 people have died and 49 others have been rescued after a boat capsized on Lake Tanganyika in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), with search operations continuing for those still missing.

Norris Mulongoyi, the transport minister of DRC’s Tanganyika province, said the vessel was carrying about 100 people and cargo when it capsized near the village of Mapera. The boat was travelling from Kigoma in Tanzania to Kalemie in DRC when it sank on Thursday.

A survivor, Annie Moyoni, told a UN-backed Congolese broadcaster that passengers were awakened at around 1am and found the vessel tilting to one side.

The cause of the capsizing has not yet been established. Local authorities said search and rescue operations were under way to locate the remaining passengers.

Boat disasters are frequent in the DRC, where waterways are an important means of transport, particularly in areas with limited road infrastructure. Overcrowding and a lack of life jackets have been cited as recurring safety concerns in previous accidents.

The latest sinking was the second major loss involving a Congolese vessel on the Kigoma-Kalemie route in less than a month.

On August 28, the Congolese vessel MV Pacifique caught fire and exploded at the port of Kigoma while loading fuel. Six crew members were killed and another was reported missing.

At least 20 people were also killed in July when a wooden boat carrying students returning from state examinations sank in central DRC.