A devastating fire followed by a capsizing incident claimed the lives of at least 143 people on the Congo River earlier this week, with dozens still reported missing.
The wooden boat, carrying an overcrowded load of passengers and fuel, ignited and sank near Mbandaka, in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s northwest region.
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The fire, which erupted on Tuesday, was reportedly caused by an onboard cooking fire that ignited nearby fuel, according to lawmaker Josephine-Pacifique Lokumu.
“A woman lit a fire to cook, and the fuel stored nearby exploded, leading to many deaths, including children and women,” she told AFP on Saturday.
Search and recovery operations have so far retrieved 143 bodies, some of them severely charred.
Joseph Lokondo, a local civil society representative who assisted in the burial process, said the unofficial death toll stands at 145.
Video clips shared online depict a boat engulfed in flames in the middle of the river, while people on smaller boats look on, unable to intervene.
While the number of people on board has not been confirmed, officials say the boat was carrying hundreds.
Some passengers were rescued and taken for medical care, but many families still await news of their missing loved ones.
Due to limited road networks in the vast Central African nation, river travel is often the only viable option.
However, a lack of safety regulations, overcrowding, and poor infrastructure contribute to frequent maritime disasters. Past tragedies on Lake Kivu and the Congo River have claimed dozens of lives in recent years.
