At least 41 people have died after a boat travelling across Lake Tanganyika capsized in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, according to local authorities.
The vessel was carrying passengers and cargo when it overturned near the village of Mapera in Tanganyika province. Authorities said rescue teams were still searching for people who remained unaccounted for after the accident.
Provincial Transport Minister Norris Mulongoyi told the Associated Press that 49 people had been rescued, while the boat was believed to have been carrying roughly 100 passengers and cargo when it sank.
Boat was travelling from Tanzania to DR Congo
The vessel was travelling from Kigoma in Tanzania to Kalemie, the capital of DR Congo’s Tanganyika province, when disaster struck.
The incident happened on Thursday, with the boat reportedly capsizing close to Mapera. The exact circumstances that caused the vessel to overturn had not been established.
One survivor, identified as Annie Moyoni, told Radio Okapi that passengers were awakened at about 1am after noticing that the boat had begun leaning heavily to one side.
The account offers an early indication of what happened aboard the vessel, although authorities have not yet established the official cause of the accident.
Search operation continues
Following the accident, rescue operations were launched to locate passengers who were still missing.
Officials have not yet provided a final account of the number of people who were aboard because reports about the passenger total have varied. Local reporting from Tanganyika province initially put the number of registered passengers at 84, including 43 survivors and 41 people reported missing.
The difference between the early figures underscores the need for authorities to complete their verification and rescue operations before a final death toll can be established.
Cargo carried by the vessel was also lost in the lake.
Safety concerns on Congolese waterways
The tragedy has renewed attention on safety conditions for water transport in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Boat travel is particularly important in parts of the country where roads and other forms of transport infrastructure are limited. For many communities around Lake Tanganyika, travelling by water can be one of the most practical and affordable ways to move between towns and neighbouring countries.
However, safety concerns have frequently accompanied the use of vessels that may carry large numbers of passengers and substantial quantities of goods.
The Associated Press reported that boat accidents have killed hundreds of people in DR Congo in recent years, with overcrowding and inadequate access to life jackets among recurring concerns.
Another accident on the Kigoma-Kalemie route
The latest disaster occurred less than a month after another serious incident involving a Congolese vessel on the same general route.
On August 28, the MV Pacifique caught fire and exploded at the port of Kigoma while it was reportedly being loaded with fuel, according to Radio Okapi.
The repeated incidents have increased attention on the safety of passenger and cargo transportation between Tanzania and eastern DR Congo.
Cause of latest sinking remains unclear
Authorities have yet to determine exactly why the vessel capsized.
While local reports have raised questions about the amount of cargo being transported, officials have not established overloading as the definitive cause. A full investigation will be needed to determine whether the vessel exceeded safety limits or whether other factors contributed to the accident.
Weather conditions, vessel stability, loading practices and safety equipment are among the issues that may be examined as authorities investigate the disaster.
For now, rescue workers remain focused on locating missing passengers and accounting for everyone who was aboard.
The Lake Tanganyika accident is another major tragedy for communities that depend heavily on water transport, while the final toll is expected to become clearer as search and rescue operations continue.
