Tragic Boat Accident Claims 148 Lives in DR Congo

(MENAFN) A boat accident on Tuesday evening in Mbandaka, located in the Equateur province of the Democratic Republic of Congo, has led to a confirmed death toll of 148, as reported by officials on Friday.

The incident took place late Tuesday near Mbandaka, where Senator Jean-Paul Boketsu Bofili, who represents the Equateur province, revealed that a motorized wooden vessel was carrying around 500 passengers when it overturned following a fire outbreak on board.

In statements to the press, the senator noted that among the deceased were children, and alarmingly, hundreds of individuals are still missing. Over 150 people were rescued, many of whom sustained various degrees of burns. Additionally, several charred bodies were retrieved from the wreckage of the burned boat.

Media sources suggest that the fire may have started when a woman was preparing food on the vessel. The HB Kokolo boat was primarily used to ferry passengers from the Bolenge port in Equateur province to a major market in Ngbondo village, which serves multiple territories.

In Congo, water transport is often essential due to the poor condition of many roads. This tragic event comes shortly after another fatal incident, where more than 50 individuals perished when an overloaded boat overturned on the same river just days earlier.

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