A deadly boat accident on the Kwango River in western Democratic Republic of Congo’s Kwilu province has claimed at least 30 lives, most of them teachers, with several passengers still unaccounted for, an official confirmed on Wednesday.
The incident occurred over the weekend, but authorities only made it public days later.According to local legislator Gary Sakata, the boat was carrying around 100 people travelling from the villages of Kingukukapayi, Kusu and Fambondo in Bagata territory.
Sakata said 20 of those who died were teachers on their way to Bandundu city to receive their monthly salaries, while other passengers were travelling to shop ahead of the end-of-year celebrations. He shared the details in an interview with Top Congo radio.
He strongly criticised what he described as a “dysfunctional” salary payment system for rural civil servants, arguing that teachers should not be forced to travel more than 100 kilometres to access their pay.
“We cannot lose 20 teachers, the equivalent of two entire schools, simply because they had to travel over 100 kilometres to collect their salaries,” Sakata said.
He added that about 30 passengers were rescued. The vessel was also carrying roughly 700 bags of cement and cassava.
Preliminary reports indicate that the boat hit a submerged stationary object, causing water to flood in and the vessel to sink.
Water transport remains common across DR Congo due to poor road networks, and deadly accidents are frequent, particularly involving overcrowded boats and heavy cargo.
