Agencies
At least 41 people have died after the passenger vessel MV MJP capsized on Lake Tanganyika while travelling from Kigoma Port in Tanzania to Kalemie in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), according to Congolese authorities.
Tanganyika Province Transport Minister Norris Mulongoyi said 49 people had been rescued, while search and rescue operations continued for passengers who remained unaccounted for. The vessel was reportedly carrying about 100 people and cargo when it sank near Mapera village, close to Kabimba in DRC’s Tanganyika Province.
A survivor, Annie Moyoni, told Radio Okapi that passengers were awakened at around 1:00 a.m. after the vessel began tilting to one side. She said there was no wind at the time, and passengers attempted to move toward the front of the vessel as it began
The casualty figures have changed as rescue operations progressed. An earlier report from Radio Okapi said 39 people were missing and 36 had been rescued, while later information provided to the Associated Press by the provincial transport minister put the toll at 41 dead and 49 rescued. Reuters separately reported that an official statement listed 84 people aboard, including 12 crew members, with 43 survivors at one stage.
The differing figures indicate that authorities were still working to establish the vessel’s final passenger and crew manifest.
The accident has also raised questions about the amount of cargo carried by the vessel. Local reports said the MV MJP may have been carrying more than 480 tonnes of wheat flour and four vehicles, against a reported cargo capacity of about 550 tonnes.
Also Read: Trump Administration Prepares Sanctions Against ICC
However, authorities have not established overloading as the cause of the accident, and the cargo figures still require official verification. An investigation is expected to determine what caused the vessel to capsize.
The disaster comes less than a month after another serious incident involving a Congolese vessel operating on the same Kigoma–Kalemie route.
On August 28, the MV Pacifique caught fire and exploded at Kigoma Port while loading fuel. Six crew members died and another was reported missing. Tanzania’s Lake Tanganyika Ports Authority said a technical fault was suspected, although investigations were expected to establish the circumstances of the incident.
The latest accident also comes after a separate boat disaster in central DRC in July, when at least 20 people died after a wooden boat carrying students returning from examinations sank.
Safety concerns on Lake Tanganyika
Lake Tanganyika is the world’s largest freshwater lake by volume and the second-deepest lake in the world after Lake Baikal. It is an important transport route connecting communities in Tanzania, DRC, Burundi and Zambia.
A 2024 fisheries survey published by Tanzania’s Ministry responsible for fisheries reported 903 fishing-related deaths across Lake Tanganyika in 2024, with boat capsizing and adverse weather among the major reported causes. The report also identified inadequate safety equipment and training as contributing risks.
Search and rescue operations following the MV MJP disaster were continuing, while the exact cause of the sinking remained under investigation.
