At least 41 people died and 49 were rescued after a boat reportedly carrying about 100 people and cargo capsized on Lake Tanganyika in the DRC on Thursday. Search operations were under way for passengers still missing; the vessel was travelling from Kigoma, Tanzania, to Kalemie.
The boat capsized near the Congolese village of Mapera. Survivor Annie Moyoni told Radio Okapi that passengers were awakened at about 1am and found the vessel tilting to one side. The cause of the capsize was unclear.
The sinking was the second loss of a Congolese vessel on the Kigoma–Kalemie route in less than a month. On Aug. 28, the MV Pacifique caught fire and exploded at Kigoma while loading fuel; six crew members were killed and a seventh was reported missing, Radio Okapi said, citing port authorities. At least 20 people also died in July when a wooden boat carrying students returning from state exams sank in central DRC. The AP says vessels in the country are often overloaded and lack life jackets.
