KINSHASA, DRC – At least 32 dead, dozens missing after two overloaded boats capsized on Lake Tumba in Equateur Province. Incident occurred Wednesday, June 11, 2025.
According to local officials and reports from the Provincial Coordination of the Panel of Civil Society Experts of Equateur, the vessels departed from Bikoro port carrying over 100 passengers, including mourners heading to a funeral. Sources indicate that the boats were severely overcrowded and departed from an unauthorized location, despite warnings about unstable weather conditions.
Heavy rains triggered large, turbulent waves shortly after the boats left the port, causing them to sink. Witnesses reported that some passengers were even turned away due to the extreme overcrowding.
Rescue operations were launched immediately, but efforts are being hampered by a significant lack of resources, including essential equipment like life jackets and proper rescue boats, as well as a shortage of fuel. Bikoro Lake Commissioner Gabriel Ifulu Bongolomba stated that responders are “forced to requisition private boats for this type of operation, but sometimes we don’t even have enough fuel to carry out these operations effectively.”
Deadly boat accidents are tragically frequent in the DRC, often attributed to lax enforcement of safety regulations, chronic overloading of vessels, and poor maintenance. Authorities continue to search for the missing as the scale of the disaster unfolds.
