Overview
- The vessel left Kiri for Kinshasa and overturned between Bobeni and Lobeke around 8 p.m. Thursday, according to a local resident.
- Governor Nkoso Kevani Lebon said nine bodies were recovered Friday and ten more Saturday, totaling 19, with 82 people rescued.
- Officials have not established how many passengers were aboard or how many remain missing, and the national government has yet to release an official toll.
- Another government representative, Freddy Bonzeke Iliki, estimated the boat carried at least 200 passengers, and recovery teams continue to search the lake.
- The incident underscores persistent hazards in Congo’s river travel, including overloaded wooden boats, scarce life jackets, and night navigation, following other recent crashes that left 64 missing and nearly 200 dead in September.