At least 143 people died and dozens more are missing after a fuel-laden boat caught fire and capsized on the Congo River in the Democratic Republic of Congo, officials said Friday.
The tragedy occurred Tuesday near Mbandaka, the capital of Equateur Province, where a wooden boat carrying hundreds of passengers went up in flames. The fire was reportedly triggered by a cooking fire igniting nearby fuel, according to Josephine-Pacifique Lokumu, head of a regional parliamentary delegation.
“A woman lit embers to cook, and the fuel exploded, killing many children and women,” Lokumu said.
131 bodies were recovered on Wednesday, with another 12 found in the following two days. Civil society leader Joseph Lokondo, who helped bury victims, placed the provisional death toll at 145, noting that some passengers burned, while others drowned.
Disturbing videos on social media showed the vessel engulfed in flames, stranded mid-river as onlookers in smaller boats watched helplessly.
The exact number of passengers remains unknown, though Lokumu said they were in the “hundreds.” Some survivors were hospitalized, but many families still have no news of missing relatives.
Due to poor road infrastructure in the vast Central African nation, many rely on rivers and lakes for travel—often on overcrowded and poorly maintained boats. Accidents are common, and the lack of passenger manifests hampers rescue efforts.
In recent years, similar tragedies have struck: in October 2023, at least 47 died in a boat accident in Equateur, and another on Lake Kivu in eastern DRC claimed around 100 lives in 2019.
AFP
