At least 41 people have died after a boat capsized on Lake Tanganyika in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with 49 others rescued and search operations continuing for passengers still unaccounted for.
Norris Mulongoyi, the transport minister for Tanganyika province, said efforts were under way to locate those who remained missing after the vessel sank near the Congolese village of Mapera.
The boat was reportedly carrying about 100 people, as well as cargo, when it overturned on Thursday. It had been travelling from the Tanzanian port of Kigoma to Kalemie in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
A survivor, Annie Moyoni, told Radio Okapi that passengers were woken at about 1am and discovered the vessel was tilting to one side.
The cause of the sinking has not been established. Boat disasters have killed hundreds of people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in recent years, with vessels often overloaded and lacking life jackets.
Second loss on Kigoma–Kalemie route in less than a month
The sinking is the second loss of a Congolese vessel on the route between Kigoma and Kalemie in under a month.
On August 28, the MV Pacifique caught fire and exploded at the port of Kigoma while it was being loaded with fuel. Six crew members were killed and a seventh was reported missing, according to port authorities cited by Radio Okapi.
The vessel operated between Kigoma and Kalemie and was used to transport fuel.
Boat travel is the cheapest way for many people to move around the Democratic Republic of the Congo, one of the world’s poorest countries, which lacks sufficient infrastructure for its population of more than 100 million.
At least 20 people also died in July when a wooden boat carrying students returning from state examinations sank in central parts of the country.
