Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Kinshasa (Agenzia Fides)- At least 140 people drowned in the waters of the River Kasai, a tributary of the Congo, when a ferry, on the way to the capital Kinshasa from Mushie, about 30km from the town of Bandundu, capsized.
The accident happened on 28 July 2010 and the number of casualties is still provisional. During 2009 more than 2000 people died in similar incidents on the Congo River, and other rivers and lakes in the Democratic Republic of Congo. These accidents are mainly due to overcrowded boats, often very old, many of which date back as far as colonial times, and inexperienced and poorly trained personnel.
With no efficient road network and numerous rivers, fluvial and lake transport is often the only means of connection between different areas of DR Congo,
“ 'Coffins' sail daily up and down the country's rivers exposing passengers to obvious danger due to inexperienced personnel, absence of signals, inadequate and even non-existent conditions of security (no life jackets, life boats or signal equipment), no ship's documents etc” says the Kinshasa based Catholic news agency DIA.
“This umpteenth tragedy should convince public authorities to regulate national river traffic still subject to manoeuvring by all kinds of adventurers. Every year more than 2,000 of our fellow country men and women die this way. It is time to break this cycle of death caused by negligence ” DIA concludes. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 30/7/2010)
