Meteorologia

  • 20 MAIO 2024
Tempo
14º
MIN 13º MÁX 21º

At Least 21 Dead in DR Congo Boat Disaster

At least 21 people died in a shipwreck that occurred on the Lufira River, in the southeastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with 11 of the passengers managing to save themselves, the Spanish news agency EFE reported today.

At Least 21 Dead in DR Congo Boat Disaster
Notícias ao Minuto

16:54 - 27/04/24 por Lusa

Mundo RD Congo

The shipwreck occurred on Friday in the territory of Mitwaba, about 300 kilometers from Lubumbashi, the capital of Upper Katanga province.

"It was a ship with merchants and goods that sank in the Lufira River. Initially, we knew that it was a technical problem, caused by the ship's engine, which suddenly stopped in the middle of the river", described the president of Mitwaba's civil society, Kyubo Mambepa.

The official said that after the accident, the alert system sounded and alerted fishermen in the vicinity who were still able to save 11 people from the vessel, with 21 having died.

The accident occurred near the island of Safu, a place where several survivors found refuge.

Investigations to determine the causes of this accident and to find more victims are ongoing, since the exact number of people who were traveling aboard this vessel is unknown.

The Lufira is a tributary of the Lualaba River, the main tributary of the Congo River.

Shipwrecks in this location are common in the Congo basin, since the rivers and lakes are heavily used as transportation routes, in a country where there is little infrastructure and the forests are very dense.

The vessels, often in poor condition, usually sail very heavily laden and with almost non-existent signaling.

Read Also: Kenyan airline accuses the DR Congo of detaining employees (Portuguese version)

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