At least 78 people killed after boat capsizes in DRC

At least 58 rescued, as official warns death toll could rise after boat carrying 278 people sinks.

At least 78 people have died after a boat capsized in Lake Kivu in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, a provincial governor said.

Governor of South Kivu province Jean Jacques Purisi told the Reuters news agency on Thursday that 278 people had been on board the boat before it overturned.

“It’ll take at least three days to get the exact numbers, because not all the bodies have been found yet,” Purisi told Reuters.

The governor of the neighbouring North Kivu province said at least 58 people had been rescued.

The boat, which had come from the town of Minova in South Kivu province, sank on Thursday morning, only 100 metres (328 feet) from its destination at the shore of Goma.

An increasing number of people have opted to cross the northern tip of Lake Kivu by boat to reach Goma in often overcrowded vessels to avoid land travel in an area prone to fighting between Congolese government forces and M23 rebels.

Reporting from Goma, Al Jazeera’s Alain Uaykani said there was frustration among residents over the road closures.

“Many people here are already complaining about the fact that this is the only possibility to travel between the province of North Kivu to the neighbouring province of South Kivu, even different villages along the lake here because many roads are closed due to the fighting,” he said.

Uaykani said those rescued were receiving treatment.

‘I saw people sinking’

One survivor told Reuters that as he struggled to stay afloat in the lake, others around him were drowning.

“I saw people sinking, many went under. I saw women and children sinking in the water, and I myself was on the verge of drowning, but God helped me,” said 51-year-old Alfani Buroko Byamungu from his hospital bed.

Mushagulua Bienfait, a Goma resident who lost three family members in the incident, blamed the war for his loss.

“All of this is part of the consequences of the war … They no longer make an effort to clear the enemies off the road so that it can become operational again,” he shouted.

Since M23 launched an offensive in late 2021, the group has seized large parts of territory in the eastern DRC, increasing its military presence and the number of armed groups in the area.