KINSHASHA- The Governor of South Kivu Province in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo Jean Jacques Purisi has told journalists that a total of 278 people were aboard the ill-fated boat before it overturned and killing about 78 people in Lake Kivu.
Jean Jacques Purisi said that it may take at least three days to get the exact numbers of the dead because not all the bodies have been found yet but at least 58 people had been rescued.
It is reported that the boat, which had come from the town of Minova in South Kivu province, sank yesterday morning, only 100 metres from its destination at the shore near Goma City.
Authorities have disclosed that increasing number of people have opted to cross the northern tip of Lake Kivu by boat to reach Goma City in overcrowded vessels to avoid land travel in an area prone to fighting between Congolese government forces and M23 rebels.
“Many people here are already complaining about the fact that this is the only possibility to travel between the province of North Kivu to the neighbouring province of South Kivu, even different villages along the lake here because many roads are closed due to the fighting,” a journalist operating in the area said.
A resident of Goma Mushagulua Bienfait, who lost three family members in the incident, blamed the war for his loss saying that the government forces no longer make an effort to clear the enemies off the road so that it can become operational again.
Since M23 launched an offensive in late 2021, the group has seized large parts of territory in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, increasing its military presence and the number of armed groups in the area.
Maritime regulations also are often not followed where overcrowding on vessels is often to blame as yesterday becomes a latest boat accident in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo in a period of 3 months.
Congolese officials have often warned against overloading and vowed to punish those violating safety measures for water transportation, but in remote areas where most passengers come from, many are unable to afford public transport for the few available roads.
“We will establish responsibilities and put in place a sanctions regime but also recommendations to improve navigation on the lake,” Purusi told journalists and added, “Lack of adequate equipment, like life jackets on the vessel likely contributed to the tragedy, as did the overcrowding and negligence and there had been a strong storm in the morning in the area of the lake”.
It is remembered that June, an overloaded boat sank near the Capital City Kinshasa where a total of more than 80 passengers lost their lives, while in January this year, 22 people died on Lake Maî-Ndombe and in April 2023, six were killed and 64 went missing on same Lake Kivu.
Images of the boat yesterday showed that it was visibly overcrowded as it approached the port of Kituku from Minova, full of passengers and goods as it started to lose its balance and sank into the lake and some people threw themselves into the water and while many died, and few were saved while others managed to swim to the shores.
The survivors, about 10 of them, were taken to nearby Kyeshero Hospital in Goma city for treatment and one of them, Ms Neema Chimanga said that she was still in shock and recounted that she saw the boat start to fill with water halfway as it forced the door of the boat open and she threw herself into the water and started swimming, but does remember how she got out of the water.
