 Congo River | |
| Date | 15 February 2021 |
|---|---|
| Location | Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Type | Ship sunk |
| Deaths | 60+ |
| Missing | 200+ |
On 15 February 2021, a ship sank in the Congo River in Mai-Ndombe province, near Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo [1] killing at least 60 people. [2]
An overloaded barge sank at around 20:00 local time near the village of Longola Ekoti in the province of Mai-Ndombe. [3] The boat was travelling 700 km along the Congo River, from Kinshasa to Mbandaka City, and over 700 people were on board. Only 300 people survived, while 60 were killed and the remaining passengers were unaccounted for. [4]
Minister for Humanitarian Actions Steve Mbikayi Mabuluki told Al-Jazeera that the primary reason for the incident was that the vessel had too many passengers and too much cargo on board. He told the media that "night navigation also played a role” – something that is prohibited in the DRC. [5] Meanwhile, according to locals, the boat hit a rock. [6]
In the days that followed, Mbikayi offered condolences to the families affected while also calling for sanctions against the transport companies involved. [5] President Félix Tshisekedi subsequently announced that life jackets were mandatory for all passengers.
The event coincided with the appointment of the new Prime Minister Jean-Michel Sama Lukonde. [1]
Ground transport in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has always been difficult. The terrain and climate of the Congo Basin present serious barriers to road and rail construction, and the distances are enormous across this vast country. Furthermore, chronic economic mismanagement and internal conflict has led to serious under-investment over many years.
Lake Mai-Ndombe is a large freshwater lake in Mai-Ndombe province in western Democratic Republic of the Congo. The lake is within the Tumba-Ngiri-Maindombe area, the largest Wetland of International Importance recognized by the Ramsar Convention in the world.
Mai-Ndombe is one of the 21 new provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo created in the 2015 repartitioning. Mai-Ndombe, Kwango, and Kwilu provinces are the result of the dismemberment of the former Bandundu province. Mai-Ndombe was formed from the Plateaux and Mai-Ndombe districts. The town of Inongo was elevated to capital city of the new province.
The Levina 1 was an Indonesian passenger ferry. On 22 February 2007, it caught fire, killing at least 51 people. Three days later, on 25 February, it sank with a group of journalists and investigators on board, killing at least one more and leaving three missing.
The Lukenie River is a river in the central Congo basin of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
On 29 July 2010, an overloaded passenger ferry capsized on the Kasai River in Bandundu province, east of Kinshasa, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. At least 80 people were confirmed to have died, with other accounts putting this figure closer to 140.
On 30 April 2012, a ferry carrying about 350 passengers capsized in the Brahmaputra River in the Dhubri district of Assam in Northeast India. The disaster killed at least 103 people.
Between December 16 and 18, 2018, at least 890 people, mostly Banunus, were killed in Yumbi and three other nearby villages in Mai-Ndombe Province, 400 km north of Kinshasa. Some 465 houses and buildings were burned down or pillaged, including some public facilities. Bongende fishing village was worst hit, with many residents mutilated and at least 339 slain. About 16,000 Banunu people were displaced from Yumbi territory, as reported by the UNHCR. About 100 Banunus found refuge on Moniende island in the Congo River, while the remainder fled to Makotimpoko District in the Republic of Congo.
Events in the year 2021 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Events in the year 2021 in the Republic of the Congo.
On 30 November 2021, a severely overloaded boat carrying more than 50 people, mostly children aged between 8 and 15, capsized on the Watari Dam in Kano State, Nigeria. At least 29 are confirmed dead and 13 more are missing.
The Ogbaru boat disaster, also called the Ogbaru boat mishap or Anambra boat mishap, was the accidental sinking of a boat on the Niger River in Nigeria on 7 October 2022, causing 76 deaths. It took place during the 2022 Nigeria floods.
On 12 June 2023, a vessel capsized and split in two in the Niger River near Pategi, Kwara State, Nigeria. The boat was carrying attendees of a wedding, who came initially on motorcycles, but were stranded due to heavy rain. At least 108 people have been confirmed dead. Dozens are missing.
Events of the year 2024 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 2021 | |
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| Shipwrecks |
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| Other incidents |
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