Dozens Perish as Overloaded Vessel Capsizes on Lake Tanganyika

Reports indicate that roughly 100 passengers, along with cargo, were aboard the vessel when it capsized on Lake Tanganyika.

25 Sep 2026

At least 41 people have lost their lives and 49 others have been rescued following the capsizing of a boat on Lake Tanganyika in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

Norris Mulongoyi, the provincial transport minister for DRC’s Tanganyika province, informed The Associated Press that search operations are currently underway to locate the remaining passengers.

The vessel reportedly carried approximately 100 people and cargo when it capsized near the Congolese village of Mapera.

The vessel was en route from the port of Kigoma in Tanzania to the city of Kalemie in the DRC when it sank on Thursday.

A survivor named Annie Moyoni told Radio Okapi, a UN-backed Congolese broadcaster, that passengers woke up around 1 a.m. to find the boat tilting to one side.

The cause of the capsizing remains unclear, yet hundreds of individuals have perished in maritime disasters in the DRC in recent years, according to the AP. Boats frequently operate while overloaded and lack adequate life jackets.

For many residents of the DRC, traveling by boat remains the most affordable means of transportation. The nation ranks among the poorest globally and lacks sufficient infrastructure to serve its population of over 100 million.

This disaster marks the second loss of a Congolese vessel on the Kigoma-Kalemie route in less than a month.

On August 28, the Congolese vessel MV Pacifique caught fire and exploded at the port of Kigoma during fuel loading, as reported by Radio Okapi.

Six crew members were killed, and a seventh remains missing, Radio Okapi reported, citing port authorities. The vessel, which operated between Kigoma and Kalemie, was utilized for fuel transport.

Additionally, at least 20 people perished in July when a wooden boat carrying students returning from state examinations sank in central DRC.

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