An overcrowded ferry capsized in Congo, killing dozens and leaving more than 100 missing

A ferry packed with people returning home for Christmas capsized in the Busera River in northeastern Congo, killing 38 people and leaving more than 100 missing, officials and witnesses said Saturday. Twenty people have been rescued so far.

The ferry sinking late Friday came less than four days after another boat capsized in the northeast of the country, killing 25 people.

The ferry was traveling as part of a convoy of other ships, and the passengers were primarily merchants returning home for Christmas, said Joseph Joseph Kangulinguli, mayor of Engindi, the last town on the river before the accident site.

Ndulu Kadi, a resident of Engindi, said the ferry was carrying “more than 400 people because it arrived at the ports of Engindi and Lolo, on its way to Bwindi, so there is reason to believe there will be more deaths.”

Congolese officials have often warned against overloading boats and vowed to punish those who violate safety measures on the rivers. However, in remote areas, many people cannot afford public transportation on the few available routes.

At least 78 people drowned in October when an overloaded boat sank in the east of the country, while 80 people lost their lives in a similar accident near Kinshasa, the country’s capital, in June.

The latest incident sparked anger at the government for not equipping the convoy with flotation devices.

Nesti Bonina, a local government member and prominent figure in Mbandaka, the capital of Equator Province where the ferry sank, condemned the authorities for not properly handling the latest ferry sinking.

“How can a ship sail at night under the eyes of river service agents? Now we are recording more than a hundred deaths,” Bonina said.

Overloaded boats capsizing are becoming increasingly frequent in this central African country, as more people, for security reasons, abandon the few available routes in favor of wooden ships collapsing under the weight of passengers and their cargo.

The roads are often subject to deadly clashes between Congolese security forces and rebels, which sometimes block main access roads.