The United Arab Emirates has shown its support for the Democratic Republic of the Congo following two tragic boat accidents on the Congo River that resulted in numerous fatalities, injuries, and missing individuals.
In an official statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) expressed deep condolences and sympathies to the victims’ families, as well as to the government and people of DR Congo regarding these unfortunate incidents, while also wishing the injured a swift recovery.
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At least 107 people lost their lives when a whaleboat caught fire in the western part of the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to an internal government report obtained by Reuters on Friday.
The vessel, a narrow, double-ended open boat, ignited on the Congo River near the village of Malange in Lukolela territory on Thursday evening, leaving 146 individuals unaccounted for, stated the Ministry of Social Affairs in a memo.
Rescue teams managed to save 209 survivors, many with injuries, after the boat burned and drifted downstream, the note revealed. The fire also destroyed onboard cargo and set ablaze 15 riverside homes.
This accident occurred just days after another tragedy, where at least 86 individuals perished in a separate shipwreck on Wednesday night at the junction of the Nsolo and Great Maringa rivers in Basankusu territory, northeast of Malange. Following the sinking, state media reported on Thursday that locals rescued eight survivors from the water.
