Nearly 150 dead in Congo river shipwreck

Kinshasa, Apr 19 (EFE).— At least 148 people have died and 100 remain missing after a wooden riverboat caught fire and sank on the Congo River in northwestern Democratic Republic of the Congo, officials said on Saturday, as search and recovery efforts continue.

The wooden vessel caught fire and sank in the northwestern province of Équateur, authorities told EFE.

“It is still a provisional count,” said Olive Lomo, president of the civil society of Mbandaka, the city near the accident site. “As of now, there are 148 confirmed dead, 100 missing, and 150 survivors.”

Preliminary investigations suggest that the fire aboard the vessel, which occurred on Apr 15, was caused by improper loading of fuel drums, Lomo said.

Compétent Mboyo, head of the Équateur River Commission, told EFE that the vessel had no passenger manifest, complicating efforts to determine how many people were on board at the time of the fire.

“Another 11 bodies were recovered on Friday,” Mboyo said. “Bodies continue to surface, which helps us identify victims and organize burials.”

Many survivors have been admitted to the Wangata General Hospital in Mbandaka for treatment, according to river authorities.

River and lake accidents are frequent in the DRC, where boats are a primary means of transportation due to limited road infrastructure and vast jungle terrain. Most vessels are overloaded and lack safety measures or passenger records.

Just last week, another boat sank near Mbandaka, killing 72 people, including students traveling home for Easter. EFE

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