The provisional toll regarding the sinking of the boat MV Merdi, Thursday October 3 on Lake Kivu, near the port of Kituku in Goma, increased from 23 to 34 deaths this Saturday October 5. The number of survivors increased from 58 to 80.
At a time when bodies are being kept in the morgue awaiting burial, some families in Goma and Minova, desperate not to find their loved ones, are already organizing mourning.
Two days after the tragedy, many anguished families are still searching for their loved ones.
These families spend entire days around the lake at the port of Kituku, not far from the scene of the tragedy in the hope of finding the bodies brought to the surface or simply to obtain additional information.
These families deplore the laxity of provincial authorities in continuing in-depth underwater research.
They are in a situation of despair and express their anger.
On Friday October 4, the ICRC and the naval force deployed speedboats to carry out search patrols on the lake.
The same Friday, the civil protection service declared having recovered 5 bodies which were taken to morgues.
It is difficult in these conditions to give the exact number of passengers on board this capsized boat.
In the absence of any document serving as a manifesto, the civil society coordinations of Minova and Mfuni Shanga in Masisi declare that they have identified 163 missing persons and are continuing with the identification.
