At least 41 dead after boat capsizes in Congo — Pajhwok

KABUL (Pajhwok): At least 41 people have died and 49 others have been rescued after a boat capsized on Lake Tanganyika in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Associated Press reported that the boat was carrying approximately 100 passengers and an unspecified amount of cargo when the accident occurred. Norris Mulongoyi, transport minister of Tanganyika Province, said search and rescue operations were continuing for passengers who remained missing. According to the report, the boat capsized near the village of Mapira. It had departed on Thursday from the port of Kigoma in Tanzania and was en route to the city of Kalemie in the Democratic Republic of Congo. One survivor told Radio Okapi that at around 1 a.m., passengers were awakened and discovered that the boat had begun tilting to one side. The exact cause of the accident remains unclear. However, hundreds of people have died in similar incidents in the Democratic Republic of Congo in recent years. Reports indicate that boats in the country frequently carry passengers and cargo beyond their safe capacity, while some are also inadequately equipped with safety and rescue equipment. The incident marks the second accident involving a Congolese vessel on the Kigoma–Kalemie route in less than a month. On August 28, the MV Pacific caught fire and exploded while loading fuel at the port of…