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Congo DRC - Boat heading from Tanzania to Congo on Lake Tanganyika capsizes, leaving at least 41 dead

Water accident · Congo DRC

Water accident Congo DRC

Congo DRC - Boat heading from Tanzania to Congo on Lake Tanganyika capsizes, leaving at least 41 dead

Lake Tanganyika

Location

Lat: -7.959134 Lng: 30.586788
Event date (UTC)
24 Sep 2026 18:45
Last update (UTC)
24 Sep 2026 18:45
Severity
high
Level
3.0
Confidence level
News / trusted media
Country
Congo DRC
Continent
Africa
Latitude
-7.959134
Longitude
30.586788
Deaths
41
Missing
10
Rescued
49
Expire date
27 Sep 2026 18:45
Address / Affected area
Lake Tanganyika

Description

A boat heading from Tanzania to Congo on Lake Tanganyika capsized Thursday, leaving at least 41 people dead, local authorities said.The boat was carrying about 100 people as well as cargo, said Norris Mulongoyi, the provincial transport minister for Tanganyika province, adding that 49 people have been rescued and a search is ongoing for the remaining passengers.“The vessel, traveling from Kigoma, Tanzania, to the city of Kalemie in the Congo’s Tanganyika province, capsized near the village of Mapera,” Mulongoyi told The Associated Press.Lake Tanganyika is the world’s largest freshwater lake and the second deepest, after Lake Baikal.The cause for Thursday’s tragedy was not immediately clear, but hundreds have been killed in boat disasters in Congo in recent years. Vessels are often overloaded and lacking life jackets.Congo’s rivers are a major means of transport for its more than 100 million people, especially in remote areas where infrastructure is poor or nonexistent.