At least 193 passengers killed in two boat accidents in northwestern Congo

KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — Two separate boat accidents this week in northwestern Congo killed at least 193 people dead and left scores missing, authorities and state media reported Friday

The accidents happened on Wednesday and Thursday, about 150 kilometers apart in the Equateur province.

One boat with nearly 500 passengers caught fire and capsized Thursday evening along the Congo River in the province’s Lukolela territory, Congo’s humanitarian affairs ministry said in a report. The report said 209 survivors were rescued following the accident, involving a whaleboat near the village of Malange in Lukolela territory.

A day earlier, a motorized boat capsized in the Basankusu territory of the province, killing at least 86 people, most of them students, state media reported. Several people were missing, but the reports did not give a figure of how many.

It was not immediately clear what caused either accident or whether rescue operations were continuing Friday evening.

State media attributed Wednesday’s accident to “improper loading and night navigation,” citing reports from the scene. Images that appeared to be from the scene showed villagers gathered around bodies as they mourned.

A local civil society group blamed Wednesday’s accident on the government and claimed the toll was higher. Authorities could not be immediately reached for comment.

The capsizing of boats is becoming increasingly frequent in this central African nation as more people are abandoning the few available roads for cheaper, wooden vessels crumbling under the weight of passengers and their goods.

In such trips, life jackets are rare and the vessels are usually overloaded.

Many of the boats also travel at night, complicating rescue efforts during accidents and leaving many bodies often unaccounted for.

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AP’s Africa coverage at: https://apnews.com/hub/africa

Jean-yves Kamale And Saleh Mwanamilongo, The Associated Press