DR Congo’s Lake Tumba Sees Two Boats Capsize, Leaving at Least 32 Dead and Dozens Missing

Two overloaded boats capsized in Dr. Congo’s Lake Tumba, leaving at least 32 people dead and others missing.

Two overcrowded boats sank at Lake Tumba, in Equateur Province, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, killing at least 32 people and leaving dozens more missing, local authorities announced Thursday.

On Wednesday afternoon, the boats, which were carrying over 100 people, left Bikoro port on the lake’s eastern bank. The ships departed in spite of “clear overloading and unstable weather conditions,” according to a statement from the Provincial Coordination of the Panel of Civil Society Experts of Equateur.

Akula Dieu, a representative of the civil society organization, stated that witnesses claimed that the crowding was so bad that people were being turned away from the canoes.

According to Bikoro’s Lake Commissioner, Gabriel Ifulu Bongolomba, a family had privately requested the boats to take them to a funeral. Safety supervision was made more difficult by the fact that the departure point was not authorized.

Shortly after departure, waves and heavy rain hit the overcrowded boats, causing them to capsize. Rescue efforts were initiated, but according to Bongolomba, they have been hindered by a lack of resources, such as enough rescue boats, fuel, and life jackets.

“For this kind of operation, we have to requisition private boats, but sometimes we don’t even have enough fuel to carry out our work properly,” he stated.

In the DRC, where chronic overloading and a lack of enforcement of safety laws continue to pose serious risks to waterway users, deadly boat accidents are too common. To stop such deaths, local authorities have demanded immediate funding for maritime safety as well as stricter regulations.