By Gabs Mia
Kinshasa, DRC: At least 34 lives have been lost, and many more remain missing after an overloaded boat, the MV/Merdi, capsized just meters from the port of Kituku on Lake Kivu. The boat, which had departed from Minova in South Kivu, was bound for Goma, North Kivu, when tragedy struck.
Horror unfolded as the boat sank near its destination, with survivors clinging to life and hope in the hospitals of Goma, while grieving families desperately searched for their loved ones.
Among the heartbreaking stories emerging from this tragedy is that of a man who lost his entire family, including his wife and two-month-old baby.
“I still haven’t been able to locate them,” he said, his voice thick with despair. His anguish mirrors the grief felt by many families who are now grappling with the aftermath of a disaster that could have been avoided.
Boat capsizes with over 200 passengers in Lake Kivu in DRC scores still missinghttps://t.co/YHuN0fGfDW
— TalkAfrica (@TalkAfrica1) October 8, 2024
Devastating videos of the overcrowded boat capsizing have circulated widely on social media, sparking outrage and grief. The survivors recount a nightmarish journey plagued by overloading and technical problems. As the boat began to sink, panic set in, and the desperate scramble for survival began.
According to survivors, it was the culmination of systemic negligence, a result of unsafe conditions and a lack of enforcement of safety measures. For years, the people of Minova have relied on Lake Kivu as their only route to Goma, particularly since the Sake-Minova Road was cut off due to the M23 conflict.
The traders who travel this route, often on boats that are unfit for travel and dangerously overloaded, do so out of necessity, risking their lives to provide for their families.
The port of Kituku lacks any form of lake traffic surveillance system, and the absence of proper regulation has allowed countless lives to be lost. Authorities are now responding to the public outcry.
The MV/Merdi was found at a depth of 200 meters on Sunday, and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior Jacquemin Shabani Lukoo was on-site to assess the situation.
“We need urgent measures to ensure this doesn’t happen again,” Lukoo said after holding a security council. While the official death toll stands at 34, local civil society organizations and victims’ committees estimate that hundreds are still missing, based on the testimonies of families.
Witnesses who watched in horror from the shore describe how the boat began to capsize from the stern before sinking entirely into the lake. The cries of those on board echoed across the water as they were swallowed by the dark depths of Lake Kivu, leaving behind families and communities shattered by grief.
At the sixteenth meeting of the Council of Ministers on Friday, the government acknowledged the shipwreck’s tragic consequences. Prime Minister Judith Suminwa attributed this disaster, in part, to the broader conflict plaguing the region.
“This tragedy is one of the many unfortunate consequences of the occupation of our territory by Rwandan forces and their M23 auxiliary,” she stated, referencing the ongoing tensions in eastern DRC.
According to Kibasa Maliba, the Minister of Post, Telecommunications and New Information and Communication Technologies (PTNTIC), those who died in the wreck had resorted to using the lake as a transport route due to the disruption of roads by the war.
Recognizing the gravity of the situation, the Prime Minister has directed the Deputy Prime Minister in charge of transport to launch an investigation to determine accountability. This tragedy, said opposition leader Moïse Katumbi, underscores the authorities’ failure to ensure the safety of Congolese citizens in transport.
The LAMUKA coalition also condemned the rampant corruption among river commissioners and the lack of proper equipment, such as meteorological tools, within the Régie des Voies Fluviales (Riverways Authority).
The tragedy of the MV/Merdi serves as a powerful reminder of the dire need for reform and accountability. Until then, Lake Kivu remains a dangerous path for those simply trying to survive.
