Boat mishap on DRC's Lake Kivu claims lives, '150 missing'

A boat mishap in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC, has claimed three lives with over thirty others rescued. Another 150 people are reported missing.

The incident happened on Monday April 15 on Lake Kivu, one of Africa’s Great Lakes which lies on the border between the DRC and Rwanda.

“I am very saddened by the sinking of a canoe this April 15 on Lake Kivu. The provisional figure shows 150 missing. I express my sincere condolence to the affected families.

“I am closely following the situation in order to identify and punish those culpable, President Félix-Antoine Tshisekedi said in a tweet on Tuesday.

Transport related accidents have often claimed scores of lives in the DRC be it on the roads, through trains and to some extent air. One of the most recent accidents was in late March 2019 when a train derailed in the Kasai region killing about 32 people.

Authorities are still searching for the missing persons but they have yet to advance possible reasons for the accident.