At least 19 people have been confirmed dead after a boat capsized on Lake Mai-Ndombe in the Democratic Republic of Congo, provincial authorities said on Saturday. The vessel overturned on Thursday night after encountering violent winds while travelling from the village of Kiri to the capital, Kinshasa.
Provincial governor Nkoso Kevani Lebon said rescue teams recovered nine bodies on Friday and ten more on Saturday, bringing the death toll to 19. He added that 82 people survived the incident, though the exact number of passengers remains unclear.
“The cause of the incident was a violent wind on the lake that disabled one of the boat’s two engines, causing it to capsize,” the governor said.
Local government officials estimate that the vessel may have been carrying at least 200 passengers—far above safe limits—highlighting ongoing concerns over safety regulations and vessel conditions. River transport remains the primary means of travel in many rural parts of Congo, but boats are often old, overloaded, and poorly maintained, contributing to frequent accidents.
Freddy Bonzeke Iliki, a national representative for the Mushie territory, said the tragedy underscores the failure to enforce passenger-capacity rules. He noted that he previously proposed banning makeshift wooden boats on Lake Mai-Ndombe, but the recommendation was never implemented.
The latest disaster follows two separate river accidents in September that claimed around 200 lives in other parts of the country, reigniting calls for stricter transport regulations and improved safety oversight.
Melissa Enoch
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