At least 23 dead after boat accident on DRC's Lake Kivu

Officials in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo reported at least 23 people are dead after an overloaded boat capsized in Lake Kivu about 100 meters from shore near Goma in the eastern North Kivu region.

Officials from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) told the Reuters news agency that about 23 bodies had been recovered, and 40 people were rescued after the boat overturned as it neared the port of Kitutu outside Goma. The boat had come from the town of Minova in South Kivu province.

Several videos posted to social media show what is reported to be the boat, clearly overloaded as it moved through relatively calm waters. The boat can be seen listing to one side then slowly turning over.

From its account on the social media platform X, SADC reported that its Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo, or SAMIDRC, worked with members of the DRC security forces to rescue at least 40 passengers from the sinking vessel.

A local migration authority told Reuters that 80 passengers were officially registered on the vessel, but witnesses said nearly 200 people were on the boat when it capsized.

Because of ongoing fighting between the DRC government and the M23 rebel movement in the region, many people have been opting to cross the northern tip of Lake Kivu by boat to reach Goma to avoid overland travel.

Deadly shipwrecks on lakes and rivers are common occurrences in the central African country. Overcrowding on vessels is often to blame. Maritime regulations also are often not followed.

The DRC government, along with the United Nations and other western countries, say M23, backed by the Rwandan government, has been waging an offensive in mineral-rich eastern Congo since 2021. The Rwandan government has denied its involvement.

Some information for this report came from The Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse.