At least 25 people, including children, have died after an overcrowded boat capsized on the Fimi River in the central Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Al Jazeera reports.
The vessel, carrying an estimated 100 passengers, departed from the town of Inongo, northeast of Kinshasa, and sank just a few hundred meters into its journey.
A search and rescue operation is underway for the missing passengers. The incident highlights the ongoing dangers of river travel in the DRC, where a lack of adequate infrastructure often leads to overcrowded and unsafe vessels.
This latest tragedy marks the fourth fatal boat accident in Mai-Ndombe province this year alone. The province, surrounded by rivers, has seen a string of similar incidents, including a June accident on the Kwa River that claimed 80 lives and an October incident on Lake Kivu that resulted in at least 78 deaths. These accidents have prompted renewed calls for authorities to provide adequate safety measures, such as flotation devices, for river transport in the region.
The DRC’s vast, forested landscape relies heavily on river travel due to a limited network of paved roads.
