Deadly boat accidents are frequent on Congo’s rivers and lakes, where vessels are frequently loaded well beyond their capacity
The country has few tarred roads across its vast, forested territory, and river travel is common.
On Monday, Transport Minister Marc Ekila said the boat that capsized should not have been navigating at night, was overloaded, and had not properly identified its owners or the number of passengers on board.
In a statement, he promised to implement rules to improve the safety of river transport and “minimize the recurring tragedies.”
