Congo River Capsize: Five Dead, Several Missing Near Kinshasa and Brazzaville

Local authorities reported on Wednesday that at least five people have died and several others are missing following the capsizing of a speedboat on Tuesday while traveling between Brazzaville and Kinshasa on the Congo River.

The vessel was carrying 16 passengers and had departed from Brazzaville en route to Kinshasa, which lies just across the river.

Preliminary reports indicate that five fatalities have been confirmed, according to Armand Osase, the commercial director of the National Office of Transport (ONATRA). He specified that the accident occurred when the boat struck a floating log, causing severe damage to its engine.

This incident follows another tragedy on the Congo River just days earlier, involving an explosion on a whaleboat named “HB Kokolo,” which resulted in multiple fatalities near Nganda Kinshasa.

Spanning over 4,700 kilometers, the Congo River is the second longest river in Africa after the Nile and ranks second in the world by discharge volume, following the Amazon.