At least 107 people have died after a boat caught fire in the Democratic Republic of Congo, local authorities have said. Rescue teams recovered 209 survivors, several of whom were injured, but 146 people remain missing, with search operations continuing on Friday.
The boat, a narrow, double-ended vessel, caught fire on the Congo River in Lukolela, destroying cargo and setting fire to 15 homes nearby.
The accident follows a shipwreck in which dozens of students were killed at the confluence of the Nsolo and Great Maringa rivers in Basankusu, state media reported. At least 86 people died, most of them students, with eight survivors pulled from the water.
State media blamed the Basankusu accident on overloading and night-time navigation, which is prohibited.
River transport is essential in Congo’s rainforest regions, where wooden vessels connect remote villages and good roads are lacking.
Deadly boat accidents are common in the Central Africa country, where late-night travels and overcrowded vessels are often blamed. Authorities have struggled to enforce maritime regulations. Hundreds have been killed in boat accidents in recent years.
Boats often lack life jackets and carry excessive passengers and cargo. Night navigation complicates rescues and leaves bodies unaccounted for.
Rescue operations face challenges from limited resources and remote locations.
Congo relies heavily on its extensive river network for transportation and commerce, but safety standards remain poor across the vast central African nation.
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