Latest news with #GabrielIfuluBongolomba
News24
a day ago
- Climate
- News24
DRC: dozens dead as boat capsizes in Lake Tumba
A boat sinking in the Democratic Republic of Congo's northwestern Equateur Province left at least 30 people dead, local media reported on Thursday. Dozens are missing and a rescue operation is under way. Territorial administrator Justin Mputu told local media that the boat was carrying goods and people on Lake Tumba in Bikoro territory. Congo's rivers and lakes are a major means of transport for its more than 100 million people. In remote areas where infrastructure is poor or non-existent, traveling by boat across lakes is a regular occurrence. But deadly boat accidents have become common, often due to poor vessel maintenance, overloading of the vessels and extreme weather. READ | African Union warns against territorial break-up of DR Congo Bikoro Lake Commissioner Gabriel Ifulu Bongolomba told Reuters that rescue efforts were ongoing, but he added that responders faced challenges due to a lack of essential equipment, including life jackets and boats. 'We're forced to requisition private boats for this type of operation, but sometimes we don't even have enough fuel to carry out our work properly,' Bongolomba said Overcrowding reported The causes of the boat sinking are not clear, but signs point to weather being a factor, as well as the vessel being overloaded. Mputu said the capsizing was believed to have been caused by turbulent waters due to heavy rain. Charly Kasereka/The Provincial Coordination of the Panel of Civil Society Experts of Equateur said in a statement that two boats had departed Bikoro Port on the eastern shores of the lake on Wednesday afternoon despite 'clear overloading and unstable weather conditions'. 'Witnesses reported that the overcrowding was so severe that passengers were being turned away from the canoes,' said Akula Dieu, a member of the group.
TimesLIVE
a day ago
- Climate
- TimesLIVE
At least 32 dead, dozens missing after boats capsize in DRC's Lake Tumba
At least 32 people were killed and dozens remain missing in Democratic Republic of Congo's (DRC) Equateur province after two boats carrying more than 100 passengers capsized in Lake Tumba, local authorities told Reuters on Thursday. The boats departed Bikoro port on the eastern shores of the lake on Wednesday afternoon despite "clear overloading and unstable weather conditions," according to a statement from a provincial civil society group, the Provincial Coordination of the Panel of Civil Society Experts of Equateur. "Witnesses reported that the overcrowding was so severe that passengers were being turned away from the canoes," said Akula Dieu, a member of the civil society group. Reuters could not confirm the weather conditions or details about possible overloading. A state official, Bikoro Lake commissioner Gabriel Ifulu Bongolomba, told Reuters that a family had requisitioned two boats to transport people for a funeral from an unauthorised embarkation point. Heavy waves caused by the rains struck the vessels, causing them to capsize, he said. Rescue efforts were ongoing, he added, but said responders faced challenges due to a lack of essential equipment, including life jackets and boats. "We're forced to requisition private boats for this type of operation, but sometimes we don't even have enough fuel to carry out our work properly," Bongolomba said. Deadly boat accidents are common in Congolese waters, where vessels are frequently overloaded, posing significant safety risks.
DW
a day ago
- Climate
- DW
DR Congo: dozens dead as boat capsizes in Lake Tumba – DW – 06/13/2025
Severe weather and overcrowding are believed to be the reasons the boat sank. Deadly boat accidents have become common in the waters near the African country. A boat sinking in the Democratic Republic of Congo's northwestern Equateur Province left at least 30 people dead, local media reported on Thursday. Dozens are missing and a rescue operation is underway. Territorial administrator Justin Mputu told local media that the boat was carrying goods and people on Lake Tumba in Bikoro territory. Congo's rivers and lakes are a major means of transport for its more than 100 million people. In remote areas where infrastructure is poor or nonexistent, traveling by boat across lakes is a regular occurrence. But deadly boat accidents have become common, often due to poor vessel maintenance, overloading of the vessels and extreme weather. Bikoro Lake Commissioner Gabriel Ifulu Bongolomba told Reuters that rescue efforts were ongoing, but he added that responders faced challenges due to a lack of essential equipment, including life jackets and boats. "We're forced to requisition private boats for this type of operation, but sometimes we don't even have enough fuel to carry out our work properly," Bongolomba said Overcrowding reported The causes of the boat sinking are not clear, but signs point to weather being a factor, as well as the vessel being overloaded. Mputu said the capsizing was believed to have been caused by turbulent waters due to heavy rain. The Provincial Coordination of the Panel of Civil Society Experts of Equateur said in a statement that two boats had departed Bikoro Port on the eastern shores of the lake on Wednesday afternoon despite "clear overloading and unstable weather conditions." "Witnesses reported that the overcrowding was so severe that passengers were being turned away from the canoes," said Akula Dieu, a member of the group. Edited by John Silk
Japan Today
2 days ago
- Climate
- Japan Today
At least 32 dead, dozens missing after boats capsize in Congo's Lake Tumba
At least 32 people were killed and dozens remain missing in Democratic Republic of Congo's Equateur Province after two boats carrying more than 100 passengers capsized in Lake Tumba, local authorities told Reuters on Thursday. The boats departed Bikoro port on the eastern shores of the lake on Wednesday afternoon despite "clear overloading and unstable weather conditions," according to a statement from a provincial civil society group, the Provincial Coordination of the Panel of Civil Society Experts of Equateur. "Witnesses reported that the overcrowding was so severe that passengers were being turned away from the canoes," said Akula Dieu, a member of the civil society group. Reuters could not confirm the weather conditions or details about possible overloading. A state official, Bikoro Lake Commissioner Gabriel Ifulu Bongolomba, told Reuters that a family had requisitioned two boats to transport people for a funeral from an unauthorised embarkation point. Heavy waves caused by the rains struck the vessels, causing them to capsize, he said. Rescue efforts were ongoing, he added, but said responders faced challenges due to a lack of essential equipment, including life jackets and boats. "We're forced to requisition private boats for this type of operation, but sometimes we don't even have enough fuel to carry out our work properly," Bongolomba said. Deadly boat accidents are common in Congolese waters, where vessels are frequently overloaded, posing significant safety risks. © Thomson Reuters 2025.
Perth Now
2 days ago
- Climate
- Perth Now
At least 32 dead, dozens missing after Congo capsize
At least 32 people were killed and dozens remain missing in Democratic Republic of Congo's Equateur Province after two boats carrying more than 100 passengers capsized in Lake Tumba, local authorities told Reuters. The boats departed Bikoro port on the eastern shores of the lake on Wednesday afternoon despite "clear overloading and unstable weather conditions," according to a statement from a provincial civil society group, the Provincial Coordination of the Panel of Civil Society Experts of Equateur. "Witnesses reported that the overcrowding was so severe that passengers were being turned away from the canoes," said Akula Dieu, a member of the civil society group. Reuters could not confirm the weather conditions or details about possible overloading. A state official, Bikoro Lake Commissioner Gabriel Ifulu Bongolomba, told Reuters that a family had requisitioned two boats to transport people for a funeral from an unauthorised embarkation point. Heavy waves caused by the rains struck the vessels, causing them to capsize, he said. Rescue efforts were ongoing, he added, but said responders faced challenges due to a lack of essential equipment, including life jackets and boats. "We're forced to requisition private boats for this type of operation, but sometimes we don't even have enough fuel to carry out our work properly," Bongolomba said. Deadly boat accidents are common in Congolese waters, where vessels are frequently overloaded, posing significant safety risks.
