Dozens dead after boat capsizes in Democratic Republic of Congo, say witnesses

A boat carrying scores of passengers capsized on Lake Kivu in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo on Thursday, killing at least 50 people, witnesses told The Associated Press.

It was not immediately clear exactly how many people were on board or how many died but witnesses said they saw rescue services recover at least 50 bodies from the water.

They said 10 people survived and were taken to a local hospital.

The boat sank while trying to dock just metres away from the port of Kituku, the witnesses said.

It was the latest deadly boat accident in the central African country, including one this summer when an overloaded boat sank near the capital and 80 passengers died.

“I was at the port of Kituku when I saw the boat arriving from Minova, full of passengers,” Francine Munyi told the AP. “It started to lose its balance and sank into the lake. Some people threw themselves into the water.”

She added: “Many died, and few were saved. I couldn’t help them because I don’t know how to swim.”

The victims’ families and Goma residents gathered at the port of Kituku, accusing authorities of negligence in the face of growing insecurity in the region.

Since the fighting between the armed forces and the M23 rebels made the road between the cities of Goma and Minova impassable, forcing the closure of the passage to trucks transporting food, many traders have resorted to maritime transport on Lake Kivu.

But according to Elia Asumani, a shipping agent who works on this line, the situation has become dangerous.

“We are afraid,” he told the AP. “This shipwreck was predictable.”

Bienfait Sematumba, 27, said he lost four family members.

“They are all dead. I am alone now,” he said, sobbing. “If the authorities had ended the war, this shipwreck would never have happened.”

The survivors, about 10 of them, were taken to Kyeshero hospital for treatment. One of them, Neema Chimanga, said she was still in shock.

“We saw the boat start to fill with water half way,” she recounted to the AP. “The door of the boat opened, and we tried to close it. But the water was already coming in, and the boat tilted.”

“I threw myself into the water and started swimming,” she said. “I don’t know how I got out of the water.”