Scores die after the boat catches fire at Congo

The boat carried up to 500 passengers, including women and children, when they overturned on the Congo River, located in the northwest region of the country on Tuesday (local time), according to reports.

Boat accidents are common in Congo, where old and wooden vessels are the main form of transport between villages and are usually loaded far beyond capacity.

Authorities estimate that hundreds of people are still missing, the reports added. The death toll was previously estimated at 50.

The boat, called HB KongoloHe caught fire near the city of Mbandaka, having left the port of Matankumu to the territory of Bolomba.

About 100 survivors were taken to a makeshift shelter at local city hall, while those with burn injuries were taken to local hospitals, Sky News said.

The incident occurred when a fire began when a woman was cooking aboard the ship, Compétent Loyoko, Rio’s commissioner, to Associated Press.

Several passengers, including women and children, died after jumping into the water without being able to swim, the report added.

In 2024, at least 78 people drowned when a boat with 278 passengers tied on Lake Kivu, east of Congo. In a separate incident, at least 22 people died after a river boat sank in December in western Congo.