Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo provincial authorities say at least 78 people have died after a boat carrying 278 passengers capsized on Lake Kivu Thursday. The boat was traveling from Minova in South Kivu to Goma, North Kivu’s capital when it overturned Thursday just 700 meters from the capital town.
Incident description
Jean Jacques Purisi, South Kivu’s governor, confirmed the death toll and explained that the actual number of missing passengers might take three days to confirm. In a separate statement, the Governor of North Kivu, who had been very active with rescues, confirmed that 58 survived the accident while 28 bodies have recovered so far.
Multi-deck vessel: A video circulating widely on social media shows a multi-deck vessel packed with people slowly listing to one side in apparently calm waters before capsizing. Witnesses described a chaotic scene, with some passengers swimming for safety after being hurled into the lake.
Survivors have described how they had to paddle to stay afloat and keep their heads out of water while others tragically drowned. A survivor still says that the conditions were calm, but if it was overcrowded, the boat might have capsized. The causes of the accident are still unknown.
Rescue Work and Challenges
Various rescue operations are being conducted by local teams and the Congolese troops. According to Goma security and harbor officials, approximately 20 bodies have been recovered so far, and more are expected as rescue operations continue. Tragically, two children who were rescued alive from the water were rushed to a nearby hospital but died before any treatment could be administered.
The problem with such vessels is that there are no proper passenger records on board. Such a condition poses big problems in the different possible groups of passengers when the accident occurred. This consequently complicates search and rescue operations, which have proved historically challenging in the region.
Lake Kivu and the Region’s Transportation Woes
Lake Kivu has always been a significant crossing point between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda where people, along with commodities, cross over. There are several boat accidents due to overcrowding and the poor state of vessels. In this case, the tragedy again highlighted the permanent risk for passengers traveling by lake, especially in areas where armed confrontations or disturbed security conditions make overland movement impossible.
Rather, the worsened road conditions and escalating hostilities between the Congolese forces and the M23 militia make boat travel more popular on Lake Kivu. Bosco Ntaganda-led militia engaged in heavy fighting with forces of the government since its launching offensive late in 2021. Their military take-over of key areas in the eastern parts of Congo had impacted road transport thereby making the lake the best alternative.
A Demand for Increased Security Precautions
Most accidents on lakes and rivers in Congo are caused by overcrowding and the use of inefficient and poorly maintained boats. In all likelihood, it is the same with this particular tragedy. The general absence of proper regulations, safety measures, and good record keeping of passengers heightens the dangerous possibility of such incidents. Human rights organizations and local authorities have urged increased enforcement of stricter maritime safety regulations to prevent such disasters.
In response to this incident, provincial governments and local civil society groups have all called for greater oversight on lake transport and for vessels to meet minimum safety standards before plying the waters of Lake Kivu.
As it continues searching for survivors, Congo mourns this avoidable tragedy of lost lives.
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