Overview

• At least 148 people have been confirmed dead after the HB Kongolo, a motorized wooden boat, caught fire and capsized on the Congo River near Mbandaka on April 15, 2025.
• Officials report that the vessel was carrying approximately 500 passengers, with hundreds still unaccounted for as search and rescue operations continue.
• The fire was triggered by onboard cooking, forcing many passengers, including women and children, to jump into the river, where some drowned due to an inability to swim.
• Around 150 survivors, many suffering severe burns, have been taken to local hospitals or housed in improvised shelters, with limited humanitarian assistance available.
• The disaster underscores chronic safety issues in DR Congo's river transport, where overcrowding, outdated vessels, and weak enforcement of maritime regulations have led to repeated mass casualty events.