At least 41 people have died after a boat capsized on Lake Tanganyika in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), while 49 others were rescued.
The vessel was reportedly carrying about 100 passengers and cargo when it overturned near the village of Mapera. It was travelling from Kigoma port in Tanzania to Kalemie in the DRC when the accident occurred on Thursday.
Tanganyika Province Transport Minister Norris Mulongoyi said rescue teams were searching for passengers who remained missing.
A survivor, Annie Moyoni, told Radio Okapi that passengers were awakened around 1am after noticing that the boat was tilting to one side before it capsized.
The cause of the accident remains unclear. However, boat accidents are common in the DRC, where vessels are often overcrowded and passengers may lack life jackets.
The incident is the second major loss involving a vessel on the Kigoma-Kalemie route in less than a month. On August 28, the Congolese vessel MV Pacifique caught fire and exploded while loading fuel at Kigoma port, killing six crew members, with another reported missing.
In July, at least 20 people also died after a wooden boat carrying students returning from state examinations sank in central DRC.
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