Two boats carrying more than 100 people capsized on Lake Tumba in western Congo’s Equateur Province, killing at least 32 people and leaving dozens more missing, local authorities said Thursday.
The vessels departed from Bikoro port Wednesday afternoon despite apparent overloading and rough weather, according to the Provincial Coordination of the Panel of Civil Society Experts of Equateur.
“The overcrowding was so severe that witnesses said passengers were being turned away,” said group member Akula Dieu.
Gabriel Ifulu Bongolomba, the lake commissioner in Bikoro, told The Associated Press the boats were transporting mourners for a funeral and had departed from an unauthorized point. He said heavy rains and waves struck the vessels, causing them to sink.
Rescue operations are ongoing, but Bongolomba said efforts are hampered by a lack of basic equipment, including life jackets and fuel for boats.
Fatal boat accidents are common in Congo, where safety regulations are poorly enforced and vessels are often dangerously overloaded.