KEY POINTS
- A boat carrying 278 passengers capsized in Lake Kivu.
- The death toll currently stands at 78, with conflicting reports.
- Survivors blame conflict and poor road conditions for overcrowding.
At least 78 people drowned when a boat carrying 278 passengers capsized Thursday in Lake Kivu in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, a provincial governor said.
Tragedy strikes as boat capsizes near Lake Kivu port
Relatives sobbed on the shore as victims were placed in body bags and carried away, according to a Reuters witness. Video footage shared widely online showed a packed multi-deck vessel listing sideways in calm waters before overturning, pitching passengers into the lake. Reuters was not immediately able to verify the footage.
The exact number of missing remains unclear, with regional officials providing conflicting death tolls. The governor of South Kivu province said 78 people had died, and that 278 had been on board.
South Kivu Governor Jean Jacques Purisi told Reuters, “We need at least three days to determine the exact numbers because we have not yet found all the bodies.”
Meanwhile, the governor of neighboring North Kivu province confirmed that 58 people survived and 28 died.
The boat capsized about 700 meters (nearly half a mile) from port, and the cause of the accident is under investigation, officials said.
Deadly boat accidents are common in Congolese waters, where vessels are often loaded beyond capacity.
Survivors recount horrors as rescue efforts continue
At a local hospital, one survivor described calm conditions when the crowded boat overturned. As others drowned, he struggled to stay afloat until Congolese troops rescued him.
“I saw people sinking, many went under. I saw women and children sinking in the water, and I myself was on the verge of drowning, but God helped me,” said 51-year-old Alfani Buroko Byamungu from his hospital bed.
Crowds gathered at the port in Goma, where the vessel was meant to dock. Some wiped tears or wept on the ground, while others shouted angrily, blaming authorities for allowing the ongoing rebel conflict to cut off roads, leading to increased overcrowding on boats.
“All of this is part of the consequences of the war,” said Mushagulua Bienfait, a Goma resident who lost three relatives in the accident. “They no longer make an effort to clear the enemies off the road so that it can become operational again.”
