An overcrowded boat capsizes in the Congo, killing dozens and missing more than 100 others
A boat full of people returning home for Christmas capsized in the Busira River in northeastern Congo, leaving 38 people confirmed dead and more than 100 others missing, officials and eyewitnesses said on Saturday. Twenty people have been rescued so far.
The sinking of the boat late Friday came less than four days after another boat capsized in the northeast of the country, killing 25 people.
The boat was traveling as part of a convoy of other ships, and the passengers were merchants who were returning home for Christmas, said Joseph Joseph Kangolingoli, the Mayor of Ingende, which is the last town on the river before the accident site.
According to a resident of Ingende, Ndolo Kaddy, the boat contained “more than 400 people because we made two ports, Ingende and Loolo, on the way to Boende, so there is reason to believe that many have died.”
Congolese officials often warn against overloading boats and have vowed to punish those who violate river safety measures. However, in remote areas, many people cannot afford public transportation on the few roads available.
At least 78 people drowned in October when an overcrowded boat capsized in the east of the country, and 80 lost their lives in a similar accident near Kinshasa, the capital, in June.
The latest accident has raised the ire of the government for not equipping the train with flotation devices.
Nesty Bonina, a member of the local government and a prominent figure in Mbandaka, the capital of Équateur province where the boat sank, criticized the authorities for mishandling the latest sinking.
“How can a ship sail at night under the watchful eye of river workers? And now we are recording the death of more than a hundred people,” said Bonina.
Overcrowded boat capsizing is becoming more common in this central African nation as many people, for safety reasons, forgo the few roads available in favor of wooden vessels that collapse under the weight of their passengers and cargo.
The roads are often caught up in deadly clashes between the Congolese army and rebels who sometimes block major access routes.
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