At least 148 people die after boat catches fire in Congo

• Boat accident in Congo kills 148, over 100 missing

• Fire started from cooking on board, causing panic

• Survivors suffering burns, lack of humanitarian aid

.Deadly boat accidents are common in the central African country, where old, wooden vessels are the main form of transport between villages and are often loaded far beyond capacity and late-night travels and overcrowded vessels are often blamed. Authorities have struggled to enforce maritime regulations.

The catastrophe began when a fire started as a woman was cooking on board the vessel, Compétent Loyoko, the river commissioner, told The Associated Press. Several passengers, including women and children, died after jumping into the water without being able to swim.

Dozens were saved

Dozens were saved, with many of the survivors badly burned. The search for the missing included rescue teams supported by the Red Cross and provincial authorities.

The death toll extremely high

The motorized 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 Sen. Jean-Paul Boketsu Bofili of Equateur province Friday. “As we speak, more than 150 survivors suffering from third-degree burns are without humanitarian assistance.”

Congo’s rivers

Congo’s rivers are a major means of transport for its more than 100 million people, especially in remote areas where infrastructure is poor or nonexistent. 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.

Huge cemeteries

“Our magnificent Congo River and the lakes our country abounds in have become huge cemeteries for the Congolese people. This is unacceptable,” said Bofili.The tragedy adds to a series of deadly maritime accidents in the region. Earlier in 2024, at least 78 people drowned when a boat carrying 278 passengers capsized in Lake Kivu, eastern Congo. In December, another river boat accident in western Congo claimed at least 22 lives.

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