At least 41 dead after boat capsizes on Lake Tanganyika in DR Congo
A boat carrying about 100 people capsized on Lake Tanganyika on Thursday, killing at least 41. Forty-nine people were rescued and a search is under way for the rest.
At least 41 people are dead after a boat travelling from Tanzania to the Democratic Republic of Congo capsized on Lake Tanganyika on Thursday, local authorities said.
The vessel was carrying about 100 people as well as cargo, Norris Mulongoyi, the provincial transport minister for Tanganyika province, told The Associated Press. He said 49 people have been rescued and a search is ongoing for the remaining passengers.
“The vessel, traveling from Kigoma, Tanzania, to the city of Kalemie in the Congo’s Tanganyika province, capsized near the village of Mapera,” Mulongoyi told the AP.
The cause of the incident was not immediately clear. Sky News, which also reported the sinking, noted that Lake Tanganyika is the world’s largest freshwater lake and the second deepest, after Lake Baikal, the AP noted.
Boating tragedies are common in DR Congo, where overcrowded vessels, night travel and a shortage of life jackets are often blamed for the high death toll. Hundreds have been killed in boat disasters in the country in recent years. In July, a wooden boat transporting students back from state exams sank in central Congo, killing at least 20 people, according to Sky News.
Sources
- Associated Press (via New Indian Express): “Boat heading from Tanzania to Congo on Lake Tanganyika capsizes, leaving at least 41 dead” — https://www.newindianexpress.com/amp/story/world/2026/Sep/24/boat-heading-from-tanzania-to-congo-on-lake-tanganyika-capsizes-leaving-at-least-41-dead-2
- Sky News: “At least 41 dead after boat capsizes in DR Congo” — https://www.hellorayo.co.uk/greatest-hits/sky/home/at-least-41-dead-after-boat-capsizes-in-dr-congo
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