Congo River Collision Kills 30-Plus, Dozens Missing

At least 30 people were killed when two motorised wooden boats collided on the Congo River near Ngombe-Lukolela in Equateur province on Sunday evening, Oct. 4. Dozens remain missing. Provincial interior minister Crispin Mputu said one vessel was traveling from Ubangi to Kinshasa and the other from Kinshasa to Lukolela, that the 30 recovered dead have already been buried, and that searches continue. The cause was not immediately established; Mputu said nighttime boat navigation has caused many past accidents. A security forces witness who spoke anonymously said the boat returning from Ubangi was overloaded with goods and collided with the one coming from Kinshasa. "Almost all the passengers on board were trapped underwater, and the boat itself also sank," the witness said. Rated outlets draw on the same core account and do not dispute the toll, location, routes, or burial. A wire summary also reported a palm oil spill as a hindrance to rescuers; that point is not developed in the full articles given. Deadly boat accidents are common in Congo, where night travel, overcrowding, and weak safety measures are often blamed. In July a wooden boat sank in Kasai province at the Sankuru and Kasai confluence, killing at least 20 students returning from exams. Search efforts after the Congo River collision remain under way.