DR Congo: Officials say boat fire fatalities were lower than initially reported

A tragic fire on a wooden motorboat in the Democratic Republic of Congo has resulted in a significant loss of life, but officials have confirmed that the death toll is considerably lower than the initially reported figure of 148.

According to reports from AFP and DPA news agencies on Sunday, the confirmed number of fatalities from the incident, which took place in the northwestern province of Equateur, is now 33. Earlier estimates had suggested that as many as 148 individuals may have perished in the fire. The incident occurred at the junction of the Congo and Ruki rivers, near the city of Mbandaka, where the boat was believed to be carrying around 400 passengers. Mbandaka's mayor, Yves Balo, explained to AFP, "We have accounted for 195 survivors, including 22 burn victims currently being treated at Wangata General Hospital, along with 33 confirmed deaths—29 of which are individuals who were burned and four who are still in the morgue." He attributed the discrepancies in the death toll to "confusion." Congolese police suspect that cooking onboard the boat may have sparked the blaze. Due to poor road infrastructure and limited public transport options, many people in the Congo rely on boats for travel.
The Congo River is the second-longest river in Africa, following the Nile. Boat accidents are frequent in the Congo, largely owing to overcrowded conditions, with passengers often lacking safety equipment such as life vests. Moreover, boat travel can take place late at night, increasing the risks involved.

The vice governor of Tshuapa province, Richard Mboyo Iluka, says the boat was taking people from Monkoto to Mbandaka city on Thursday but capsised just outside Wafania.

He said a team has been dispatched to investigate and get a more realistic death toll.

He said he is unsure how many people were on the boat and the cause of the accident remains unknown.

Deadly boat accidents are common in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a vast, forested country which has few roads outside of major towns and is carved up by a network of rivers that drain the Congo Basin.

For most people these rivers are the only means of travelling over long distances.

Boats transporting people along the river, a key travel corridor in DR Congo, are often overcrowded.