Key facts
- More than 40 people are missing after a passenger boat sank on Lake Tanganyika in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
- The incident occurred on Thursday with 84 people on board, including 12 crew members.
- As of Friday, 43 people had been rescued, including three children and four Tanzanian nationals.
- The vessel was reportedly carrying about 100 people and cargo.
- The boat was traveling from Kigoma, Tanzania, to Kalemie, DRC.
- The cause of the sinking is unclear.
More than 40 people are missing after a passenger boat sank on Lake Tanganyika in the Democratic Republic of Congo on Thursday. An official stated that 84 people were on board, including 12 crew members. As of Friday, 43 people had been rescued, comprising three children and four Tanzanian nationals. The vessel was reportedly carrying approximately 100 people and cargo when it capsized near the Congolese village of Mapera, traveling from Kigoma in Tanzania to Kalemie in DRC. A survivor recounted that passengers were awakened by the boat tilting to one side around 1 a.m. The cause of the sinking remains unclear. River boats are a primary mode of transport in many rural areas of the DRC, but outdated vessels and frequent accidents contribute to a high number of fatalities. This incident marks the second loss of a Congolese vessel on the Kigoma-Kalemie route in less than a month; a previous incident on August 28 involved the MV Pacifique catching fire and exploding at the port of Kigoma, resulting in six crew deaths and one missing.