At least 143 people have been confirmed dead, and many others remain missing after a fuel-laden boat caught fire and capsized on the Congo River in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), officials reported on Friday.
The tragedy occurred on Tuesday in northwest DRC when a wooden boat, packed with hundreds of passengers, caught fire while navigating the river near Mbandaka, the capital of Équateur Province, at the meeting point of the Ruki and Congo rivers—the latter being the world’s deepest.
According to Josephine-Pacifique Lokumu, head of a regional delegation of national deputies, the initial recovery efforts uncovered 131 bodies on Wednesday, followed by 12 more on Thursday and Friday, some of which were severely burned. As of midday Saturday, the official death toll had not yet been finalized.
Collective funerals began on Friday in Mbandaka. Videos shared by local journalist Eric Liyenge Ekamba showed Red Cross workers unloading coffins from vehicles and arranging them under a large tent set up in an amusement park for the ceremonies.
In one clip, at least eleven coffins are visible as mourners move through the area, paying their respects. After the service, Red Cross personnel and volunteers were seen conducting burials at a nearby cemetery.
Some families were able to retrieve the remains of their loved ones directly as they were recovered, according to eyewitness accounts.
