Victor Ezeja
At least 87 persons have been confirmed dead following a boat accident on Thursday, 3rd October, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
According to Jean-Jacques Purusi, the governor of the South Kivu province, the boat that was carrying 278 passengers capsized in a lake in the eastern part of the central African country.
The boat, overloaded with passengers, sank while trying to dock just about 700 metres from the port of Kituku, according to a report by Baird Maritime. It headed to Goma in the North Kivu province from Minova in the South Kivu province.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelA video shared on social media showed the moment the boat, apparently heavy on one side due to overloading, overturned, offloading the passengers on the water.
The incident happened as the boat was approaching the port. While some passengers were seen swimming to the shore for safety, others who could not swim, drowned.
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Eighty-seven bodies of deceased victims were reportedly recovered from the surrounding waters by the Search and rescue (SAR) team on Thursday.
The Thursday’s boat accident is the latest in a series of fatal passenger vessel mishaps that have occurred in the DRC since the beginning of the year.
Prime Business Africa reports that in the third quarter alone, over 69 people were killed in two separate river boat accidents in Maniema and Maï-Ndombe provinces. They were all blamed on overloading.
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with seven years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Master's degree in Mass Communication.
