The tragic drowning of a boat in the Democratic Republic of the Congo claimed the lives of at least 80 people, according to President Félix Tshisekedi. The disaster occurred on Wednesday near the border with Congo-Brazzaville, along the Kwa River, around 70 kilometers (44 miles) from Mushie town in the Maï-Ndombe region.
In a social media post, President Tshisekedi expressed his deepest sadness and conveyed his devastation over the occurrence. He ordered a thorough study into the disaster’s causes and promised assistance to anyone impacted.
“The President of the Republic is calling for an investigation into the true causes of this unfortunate incident, to prevent such a disaster from happening again in the future,” the presidency expressed on X, formerly Twitter!
Tragically, overcrowding on boats is a common cause of deadly accidents in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Passengers are sometimes not given life jackets and many of them cannot swim, which increases the likelihood of accidents like these because safety standards are often disregarded.
To stop additional deaths and make sure the waterways in the area are safe to travel on, we must work to fix the underlying problems that cause these tragedies.
