Ship catastrophe in Lake Kivu: Hundreds of deaths after a ferry accident!

Ship catastrophe in Lake Kivu: Hundreds of deaths after a ferry accident!

in Lake Kivu, not far from the port of Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a tragic boat accident occurred, in which several hundred people are missing. The initial estimate of more than 450 passengers on board a ferry could turn out to be considerably lower, since official representative Venant Rugusha Descartes now speaks of a total of 700 people who were on the boat.

Currently 126 corpses were recovered and 45 survivors were saved. According to Descartes, around 500 people could still be on the sunken ship. The ferry, which was traveling from Minova in the neighboring province of South Kivu to Goma, captivated and sank quickly, which made the rescue measures difficult.

critical traffic situation in the region

The region has to struggle with a strongly restricted road network, which often makes boats and passenger ferries the only available means of transport for the residents. This always leads to dangerous situations, since many of the ships used are old, overloaded and technically in poor condition. Safety measures such as the provision of life jackets are often not observed, which leads to an increased risk of passengers.

The names of the saved survivors were posted on the corpse halls in Goma, which is a small ray of hope in the middle of this tragedy. The search for other victims is expected to continue in the coming days, as the authorities do everything they can to find the missing persons and to give the families answers.