The incident occurred on Lake Kivu, which is located between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Credit: Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- At least 21 people are missing after a boat capsized on Lake Kivu in eastern Congo on Tuesday, April 7, according to the Associated Press
- Twenty-three people reportedly survived and authorities are continuing to search for those unaccounted for
- Lake Kivu is located on the border between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo
At least 21 people are reportedly missing after a boat capsized in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The vessel had just visited a market town and was sailing on Lake Kivu — located on the border between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo — when it sank while on its way to the town of Makengere on Tuesday, April 7, the Associated Press reported, citing authorities.
Twenty-three people survived the incident, the news agency stated. Officials are continuing to search for those still missing.
The cause of the boat overturning is being investigated and the number of passengers onboard and how many are unaccounted for remains unclear, according to the AP.
Credit: Zanem Nety Zaidi/Xinhua via Getty
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Lake Kivu has a maximum depth of around 1,558 feet, according to Africa News and the Agence France-Presse (AFP).
This is not the first time that a boat has sunk on Lake Kivu. In October 2024, at least 78 people died after a ferry capsized on the same lake.
It was traveling from the town of Minova in South Kivu and sank as it was arriving on Goma's shore, the BBC reported at the time.
There were 278 passengers on board, the outlet reported, citing a regional governor.
“We saw the boat start to capsize. We noticed that the boat was very overloaded and there were also strong waves,” dock worker Bahati Selemani, who helped rescue people from the sinking ship, told AP at the time.
"After that, the boat started to capsize little by little. Those who were upstairs started to throw themselves into the lake, and the boat capsized directly into the lake," Selemani added, per the news agency.
The BBC previously stated that accidents like these are common in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, claiming that boats are frequently overcrowded with passengers who often cannot swim and are rarely given safety jackets.
A couple of months prior to the October 2024 accident, Africa News and the AFP reported that at least 15 people had died and dozens had been reported missing after another boat went down on Lake Kivu in August of that year. It was reported that around 100 people had been on board at the time.
Father of nine, Alexis Simba, lost his wife and children in the tragedy, telling the outlet: "Here I am in pain and I have a great sadness because it is not easy to lose a wife and I had nine children. My dead boys had just graduated from school."
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