At least 193 killed in two separate boat accidents in northwestern DR Congo

Two separate boat accidents this week in northwestern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have killed at least 193 people and left dozens missing, authorities and state media said.

The accidents happened on Wednesday and Thursday, about 150km (93 miles) apart in the Equateur province.

One boat with nearly 500 passengers caught fire and capsized on Thursday evening along the Congo River in the province’s Lukolela territory, killing 107 people, DRC’s Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs said in a report.

The report said 209 survivors were rescued following the accident, involving a whaleboat near the village of Malange in Lukolela territory.

A memo from the Ministry of Social Affairs, seen by the Reuters news agency, said 146 people were missing.

A day earlier, in a separate accident, a motorised boat capsized in the Basankusu territory of the province, killing at least 86 people, most of them students, state media reported.

Several people were missing, but the reports did not give a figure for how many.

It was not immediately clear what caused either accident or whether rescue operations were continuing on Friday evening.

State media attributed Wednesday’s accident to “improper loading and night navigation”, citing reports from the scene. Images that appeared to be from the scene showed villagers gathered around bodies as they mourned.

A local civil society group blamed Wednesday’s accident on the government and claimed the toll was higher.

Search operations took place after the accidents, with naval personnel and community volunteers combing the banks while authorities pledged medical care for the injured, assistance to bereaved families and the repatriation of survivors to their places of origin and destination.

River transport is a lifeline in DRC’s vast rainforest regions, where old, wooden vessels are the main form of transport between villages. It is also often cheaper than travelling on the few available roads.

However, the vessels are poorly maintained and crumbling under the weight of passengers and their goods, and accidents are frequent.

On such trips, life jackets are rare, and the vessels are usually overloaded.

Many of the boats also travel at night, complicating rescue efforts during accidents and leaving many bodies often unaccounted for.