Overview
- A whaleboat carrying nearly 500 passengers caught fire and capsized Thursday on the Congo River near Malange in Lukolela territory, with 209 survivors rescued, 107 confirmed dead and about 146 reported missing, according to the humanitarian affairs ministry.
- On Wednesday, a motorized boat capsized in Basankusu territory, leaving at least 86 people dead, most of them students, state media reported.
- State reports attributed the Basankusu sinking to improper loading and night navigation, a practice formally restricted but widely observed on the rivers.
- The two accidents occurred about 150 kilometers apart in Equateur province on consecutive days, and search and recovery efforts by naval personnel and local volunteers were ongoing Friday.
- A ministry report said the burning vessel drifted downstream, destroying its cargo and igniting 15 riverbank homes, while a local civil society group blamed authorities and alleged the toll is higher than official counts.