At Least 12 Dead After Boat Capsizes on Lake Kivu, DRC

A vessel carrying fish traders capsized on Lake Kivu in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, killing at least 12 people, with dozens still missing, authorities said. The boat was carrying more than 50 people on Saturday night near Idjwi Island in South Kivu province, according to Félix Habiragi, chief of the nearby village of Kisheke. The cause of the accident was not immediately clear. About 15 people were rescued from the water. The vessel had been transporting fish traders and goods from Bwina on Idjwi Island to Boza, local administrator Muhindo Ntambuka Pascal said. Videos circulating from the scene showed villagers and other passengers pulling bodies from the lake. Boat accidents are common in the DRC, where rivers and lakes serve as a major transport network for more than 100 million people. Vessels are frequently overloaded with passengers and cargo, and many travellers go without life jackets despite regulations requiring them. "The authorities had, in particular, begun requiring passengers to wear life jackets. Today, however, many people continue to travel without them," said Dorcelle Bagazane, a civil society member in Idjwi. The incident comes just two days after at least 41 people died and 49 were rescued when a boat carrying about 100 people and cargo capsized on Lake Tanganyika near the village of Mapera, also in the DRC.