Another Congo transport disaster claims many lives

A ferry sank in bad weather on Lake Kivu on the eastern edge of Congo drowning at least 38 people, although another 50 remain missing and are feared dead. The Red Cross said it had only found 11 survivors so far.

Lake Kivu stretches 55 miles from Bukavu in the south to Goma in the north and is constantly used by passenger ferries and cargo barges since the road that runs alongside the lake – like so many in the country – is in poor repair and barely passable.

Deadly transport disaster are common in Congo. Earlier this month a runaway truck ploughed into a group of people killing 32, mostly children according to an AFP report at the time.

Ferries frequently sink on the Congo river that flows through the country’s jungles.

Airplane crashes are also worringly commonplace. Last month a United Nations jet crashed in the capital Kinshasa during a thunder storm killing 32 people.

Last year a passenger plane crashed, reportedly after a crocodile escaped from the cargo hold at the rear of the jet causing the panicked passengers to stampede to the front bringing down the plane.

Transport disasters kill perhaps hundreds in Congo every year on rivers, lakes, roads and in the air. Each one is a human tragedy as well as a symptom of the vast country’s decrepitude.