60 dead, 300 rescued, many missing in Kinshasa river boat mishap

Officials from the Democratic Republic of Congo say at least 60 persons drowned and about 300 others have been rescued following a boat accident that occurred on the Congo River.

It was gathered that a boat travelling to Mbandaka, the capital of DR Congo’s Equateur province, capsized in Kinshasa on Sunday night.

Steve Mbikayi, DR Congo’s humanitarian affairs minister told journalists that 300 persons have been rescued but search and rescue operations are still ongoing as many more persons are missing.

The minister blamed the wreck on overcrowded passengers and night travelling, which is prohibited in the country.

“These are the reasons that caused this wreck with over 60 dead. We have managed to rescue 300 survivors while search and rescue operations are on-going,” Mbikayi said.

A similar incident occurred in April 2020 when at least 167 people died in two boat accidents on Lake Kivu in DRC prompting President Félix Tshisekedi to make it mandatory for boat passengers to wear life jackets.