At least 143 people have died and dozens more are missing after a fuel-laden wooden boat caught fire and capsized on the Congo River in the Democratic Republic of Congo, officials confirmed on Friday.
The incident happened Tuesday near Mbandaka, the capital of Equateur Province, where the Ruki and Congo rivers meet. According to regional lawmaker Josephine-Pacifique Lokumu, the vessel was overcrowded with hundreds of passengers when the fire broke out.
“A woman started a cooking fire near fuel containers, causing an explosion that killed many, especially women and children,” Lokumu said.
Authorities recovered 131 bodies on Wednesday, with another 12 found in the following two days. Civil society leader Joseph Lokondo, who helped with burials, reported a provisional death toll of 145, with victims either burned or drowned.
Footage shared online shows the wooden boat engulfed in flames and drifting far from shore, while nearby boats watched helplessly.
The exact number of people on board remains unknown, and many families are still searching for missing relatives. Survivors are being treated at local hospitals.
River travel is a common but risky mode of transport in the DRC due to poor road infrastructure. Similar tragedies have occurred in the past, including a 2023 boat accident in the same province that killed at least 47 people.
