A tragic ferry accident on Lake Kivu in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has left at least 78 people dead after the boat capsized just a few hundred meters from its destination on Thursday, October 3. The ferry, carrying 278 passengers, was traveling from the town of Minova in South Kivu to the shore of Goma when it sank.
A video circulating online shows the ferry tilting to one side before sinking into the lake. The cause of the accident is believed to be overloading and strong waves, according to dock worker Bahati Selemani, who participated in the rescue efforts. “We saw the boat start to capsize. We noticed it was very overloaded, and there were also strong waves. Those who were upstairs started to throw themselves into the lake,” Selemani told AP.
Rescue efforts are still underway, with local authorities estimating that it will take at least three days to retrieve all the bodies. “It’ll take at least three days to get the exact numbers, because not all the bodies have been found yet,” said Governor Jean Jacques Purisi.
Survivors have shared harrowing accounts of the disaster. Alfani Buroko Byamungu, a 51-year-old survivor, described the scene from his hospital bed. “I saw people sinking, many went under. I saw women and children sinking in the water, and I myself was on the verge of drowning, but God helped me,” he told Reuters.
Local activist Aaron Ashuza, who was at the scene, witnessed the rescue efforts as bodies were pulled from the water, while the injured were rushed to nearby hospitals. Among the victims were at least two children who succumbed to their injuries after being rescued, according to AFP.
Such ferry accidents are tragically common in the DRC, where boats are frequently overcrowded, and safety measures such as life jackets are often lacking. Additionally, the absence of passenger manifests complicates rescue operations, making it difficult to determine the exact number of those on board.
Authorities continue to search for survivors and retrieve bodies in the aftermath of this disaster.
