The death toll from the sinking of a boat carrying men and goods on Lake Kivu in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has risen to 87, according to local authorities.
The boat “MV MERDI”, coming from Minova, a locality located in the province of South Kivu, capsized Thursday morning near the port of Kituku in Goma, capital of the province of North Kivu (east).
The 87 bodies recovered were transported to the morgue of the Goma general hospital and nine other survivors were taken care of, said the same source, adding that 78 people are still missing.
A previous report provided Thursday by the port and security authorities reported around twenty deaths.
The boat capsized about 700 m from the docking port, due to the speed of a violent wave, according to witnesses, cited by the media, while local sources speak of a “significant overload” of the boat.
A growing number of people are choosing to travel to Goma by crossing the northern tip of Lake Kivu by boat, to avoid land areas plagued by fighting between government forces and the M23 rebel movement.
