A tragic accident in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Equateur Province has claimed the lives of scores of passengers after a motorized boat capsized in the waters of Basankusu territory. State media confirmed on Friday that at least 86 people were killed, with reports indicating that a significant number of the victims were students. The incident, which occurred on Wednesday, has cast a somber mood over the region and raised fresh concerns about the worsening state of water transportation in the country.
According to Congo’s state news agency, the precise cause of the disaster remains uncertain. However, preliminary reports from the scene attributed the tragedy to “improper loading and night navigation.” The vessel, reportedly carrying a large number of passengers and cargo, overturned during the night journey, leaving rescue operations severely hampered. Photographs circulated online appeared to show villagers mourning over rows of bodies recovered from the riverbanks, highlighting the scale of the devastation.
Local civil society organizations reacted strongly to the tragedy, alleging that negligence on the part of the government played a direct role in the accident. While official sources have not yet released a detailed response, community representatives insist the death toll could be higher than the figures currently confirmed. Efforts to reach government authorities for comment have so far been unsuccessful.
Maritime accidents of this nature have become distressingly common across Congo, where rivers remain a major transport lifeline due to the scarcity and poor condition of road networks. With many communities relying on wooden boats and motorized pirogues, overcrowding has become routine. Safety measures such as life jackets are rarely provided, and operators often overload vessels to maximize profits, increasing the risk of disaster.
Night-time navigation further compounds the dangers, as visibility is limited and rescue efforts, when accidents occur, are slow and inefficient. In many such cases, victims’ bodies remain unrecovered, deepening the tragedy for families left without closure.
The Basankusu capsizing underscores a growing crisis in Congo’s transportation sector, where reliance on fragile river vessels continues to put thousands of lives at risk. As families grieve and survivors recount the horrors of the night, calls are mounting for the government to strengthen enforcement of safety standards and invest in safer infrastructure to prevent the relentless cycle of boat disasters.
(AP)
