Over 80 killed in boat accident in western Congo

BENI, Democratic Republic of Congo, June 12

More than 80 people have been killed in a boat accident on the River Kwa in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Mai-Ndombe province, the country’s presidency said on Wednesday.

Deadly boat accidents are common in the waters of Congo, where vessels are frequently loaded well beyond their capacity.

The central African country has few tarred roads across its vast, forested territory, and river travel is common.

“The President of the Republic is calling for an investigation into the true causes of this unfortunate incident, to prevent such a disaster from happening again in the future,” the presidency said on X.

The incident was caused by night sailing, Rita Bola Dula, Mai-Ndombe province governor, told Reuters, adding that the investigations continued.