At least 30 people have died and dozens remain missing after two boats collided on the Congo River in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo), officials said on Monday, October 5, 2026.
The accident happened on Sunday evening near the Ngombe-Lukolela area in Equateur province, northwestern DR Congo, as the two vessels navigated the river.
Equateur provincial Interior Minister Crispin Mputu said 30 people drowned in the collision, while search-and-rescue teams were deployed to look for those still missing.
Two vessels collided on Congo River
According to Mputu, a metal vessel named “Dieu se cache” was travelling from Kinshasa, the capital, when it collided with a wooden vessel, “HB Super Victoire”, which was travelling from Businga.
“Almost all the passengers on board were trapped underwater, and the boat itself also sank,” Mputu told the state-owned Agence Congolaise Presse.
The minister said the bodies of those who drowned had already been buried.
The exact cause of the collision remained unclear, although Mputu noted that night-time travel has been linked to numerous boat accidents on the country’s waterways.
A security officer who witnessed the incident told the Associated Press that the vessel travelling from Kinshasa was carrying an excessive amount of goods.
The report did not give an exact number of people believed to be missing.
Overcrowding raises safety concerns
The latest tragedy has renewed concerns over safety standards on DR Congo’s waterways, where boats are frequently used to transport people and goods across remote communities.
Late-night travel, overcrowding and inadequate safety equipment are often cited as contributing factors in deadly boating accidents.
Many vessels operating on the country’s rivers carry both passengers and cargo, with some travelling without adequate safety equipment.
In July, a wooden boat transporting students returning from state examinations sank in Kasai province, killing at least 20 people.
The latest Congo River collision adds to a series of deadly maritime accidents in DR Congo, where poor infrastructure and weak safety standards continue to pose risks to passengers travelling by water.
Search-and-rescue operations were ongoing as authorities worked to establish the full number of casualties and locate those reported missing.
