The death toll from a boat fire and capsizing in the Democratic Republic of Congo earlier this week has risen to 148 with more than 100 people still missing, officials said on Friday.
About 500 passengers were on board the wooden boat when it capsized on Tuesday after catching fire on the Congo River in the country’s north-west.
The catastrophe began when a fire started while a person was cooking on board the vessel, said Compétent Loyoko, the river commissioner. Several passengers, including women and children, died after jumping into the water without being able to swim.
Dozens were saved but many of the survivors were left badly burnt. The search for the missing included rescue teams supported by the Red Cross and provincial authorities.
The motorised wooden boat caught fire near the town of Mbandaka, Loyoko said. The boat, HB Kongolo, had left the port of Matankumu for the Bolomba territory.
“The death toll among the 500 passengers on board was extremely high,” said senator Jean-Paul Boketsu Bofili on Friday. “As we speak, more than 150 survivors suffering from third-degree burns are without humanitarian assistance.”
Deadly boat accidents are common in the central African country, where late-night travels and overcrowded vessels are often blamed. Authorities have struggled to enforce maritime regulations.
Congo’s rivers are a main means of transport for its more than 100 million people, especially in remote areas with little infrastructure. Hundreds have been killed in boat accidents in recent years as more people abandon the few available roads for wooden vessels packed with passengers and their goods.
“Our magnificent Congo River and the lakes our country abounds in have become huge cemeteries for the Congolese people. This is unacceptable,” said Bofili.
