Brazil regrets tragedy with boat in Congo that left 33 dead

“We counted 195 survivors (22 burned at the Wangata Hospital), 33 dead (29 already buried and four in the morgue),” said MBANDAKA Mayor Yves Balo. The previous balance was much higher, with more than 140 dead, but the mayor said the wrong number was released due to “confusion” at the site of the tragedy.

Fire would have started with stove lit per passenger. The fire began on Tuesday in front of MBANDAKA, the capital of the province of Équateur, when “a woman lit her embers to cook” on the vessel. Fuel stored on board exploded, causing panic and drowning deaths and burns.

Local authorities estimate that hundreds are still missing. Part of the survivors was taken to makeshift hospitals and shelters.

Lack of control aggravates the rescue. Lack of passenger lists make it difficult to identify victims and missing.

On Wednesday, a first group of 131 corpses was found. Twelve more were recovered on Thursday and Friday. Several are charred.
Joséphine-Pacifi Lokumo, a deputy from the National Republic of Congo, in an interview with AFP

The Brazilian government became aware, with regret, of the vessel accident in the Congo River, which caused the death of at least 148 people near the city of MBANDAKA, in the northwest of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Brazilian government expresses solidarity with the families of the victims, the people and the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Brazil