At least 50 killed as boat capsizes in eastern Congo lake

A boat carrying around 100 passengers capsized on Lake Kivu in eastern Congo on Thursday, resulting in at least 50 deaths, according to an AP report citing witnesses.
The overloaded boat, traveling from Minova in South Kivu province to Goma in North Kivu province, sank while attempting to dock near the port of Kituku. Rescue services recovered at least 50 bodies, but the exact number of people on board remains unclear.Ten survivors were taken to Kyeshero hospital.
Local authorities said rescue operations are still ongoing.
South Kivu province governor Jean-Jacques Purusi informed a local radio station, “This boat was carrying about a hundred people when it had the capacity for about thirty passengers.”

Bienfait Sematumba, who lost four family members, said, “They are all dead. I am alone now. If the authorities had ended the war, this shipwreck would never have happened.”
A witness at Kituku port, Francine Munyi, said, “I was at the port of Kituku when I saw the boat arriving from Minova, full of passengers. It started to lose its balance and sank into the lake. Some people threw themselves into the water.”
One survivor, Neema Chimanga, described the incident: “We saw the boat start to fill with water halfway. The door of the boat opened, and we tried to close it. But the water was already coming in, and the boat tilted.” She added, “I threw myself into the water and started swimming. I don’t know how I got out.”
Residents and victims' families gathered at the port, blaming authorities for negligence amidst growing regional insecurity. Many residents turned to maritime transport due to the closure of the road between Goma and Minova, caused by ongoing conflict. A shipping agent, Elia Asumani, commented, “We are afraid. This shipwreck was predictable.”
This incident follows a similar accident in February when a boat carrying 50 passengers capsized on Lake Kivu. In June, 80 people died when an overloaded boat sank near Kinshasa. Earlier this year, 22 people died on Lake Maï-Ndombe, and in April, six were killed, with 64 missing, on Lake Kivu.