A Congolese governor said Thursday that at least 78 people died when an overcrowded boat with 278 passengers capsized on Lake Kivu in eastern Congo on Thursday.
Jean-Jacques Purusi, governor of the South Kivu province, spoke to The Associated Press over the phone hours after the tragedy. Her said the death toll was provisional and that the number of fatalities could rise.
The boat, overloaded with passengers, sank while trying to dock just meters away from the port of Kituku, according to witnesses. It was going from Minova in South Kivu province to Goma, in North Kivu province.
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.
In June, an overloaded boat sank near the capital of Kinshasa and 80 passengers lost their lives. In January, 22 people died on Lake Maî-Ndombe and in April 2023, six were killed and 64 went missing on Lake Kivu.
