Boat Capsizes, Leaving More Than 80 Dead

(USNewsBreak.com) – In Africa, dozens recently died in the Democratic Republic of Congo after a boat capsized.

The deadly water incident took place on Monday, June 10. The boat, carrying 271 passengers along the Kwa River to Congo’s capital city of Kinshasa, suffered engine failure. Then the vessel hit the river bank’s edge, broke up, and sank. Over 80 individuals died in the tragedy, and 185 managed to swim ashore. Mai-Ndombe province governor, Rita Bola Dula, said the incident resulted from night traveling.

President Felix Tshisekedi announced the accident on Wednesday, June 12 and called for an investigation. He wants authorities to discover “the true causes” underlying the horrific accident and “to prevent such a disaster from” recurring, according to a statement that appeared on X, formerly Twitter.

River travel is popular in Congo due to its vast swaths of forests and lack of paved roads. Reuters indicates that it’s not uncommon for severe boat accidents to occur in Congo, and that vessels are often overloaded. At least 52 people died last October when a boat in the northwestern part of the nation capsized while carrying more than 300 passengers.

This incident wasn’t the only deadly capsizing incident to occur this past week. On Sunday, June 9, at least 49 migrants died en route from the Horn of Africa to Yemen. The water vessel involved sank near Yemen’s coast, killing many Somali and Ethiopian migrants who were traveling the Gulf of Aden. More than 100 people remained missing as of the time of writing.