13 killed in boat accident in western DR Congo

Thirteen people have been killed and 17 others were rescued following a shipwreck overnight from Saturday to Sunday on the Congo River near the Ibali village, Mai-Ndombe province, in the Western Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

According to Crispin Ipondo Bonda, provincial minister in charge of the interior and security affairs, a boat from Kinshasa sailing for Inongo, capital of Mai-Ndombe, was shaken by a strong wind that led to the sinking.

“According to the emergency report, 30 passengers were on board. 13 people died and 17 others have been rescued,” he said, adding that the strong wind was the cause of the accident.

Three shipwrecks have already taken place over the last two months on the Congo River in the Mai-Ndombe province.

Shipwrecks are recurrent across the DRC, particularly on the Congo River, where night-time travel, overloads as well as poor conditions of ships are usually the causes of most accidents.