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At least 193 killed in two separate boat accidents in northwestern DR Congo | Transport News
Rescue teams searched for the missing after deadly incidents in Equateur province this week.
Published On 12 Sep 2025
Two separate boat accidents this week in northwestern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have killed at least 193 people and left dozens missing, authorities and state media said.
The accidents happened on Wednesday and Thursday, about 150km (93 miles) apart in the Equateur province.
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One boat with nearly 500 passengers caught fire and capsized on Thursday evening along the Congo River in the province’s Lukolela territory, killing 107 people, DRC’s Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs said in a report.
The report said 209 survivors were rescued following the accident, involving a whaleboat near the village of Malange in Lukolela territory.
A memo from the Ministry of Social Affairs, seen by the Reuters news agency, said 146 people were missing.
A day earlier, in a separate accident, a motorised boat capsized in the Basankusu territory of the province, killing at least 86 people, most of them students, state media reported.
Several people were missing, but the reports did not give a figure for how many.
It was not immediately clear what caused either accident or whether rescue operations were continuing on Friday evening.
State media attributed Wednesday’s accident to “improper loading and night navigation”, citing reports from the scene. Images that appeared to be from the scene showed villagers gathered around bodies as they mourned.
A local civil society group blamed Wednesday’s accident on the government and claimed the toll was higher.
Search operations took place after the accidents, with naval personnel and community volunteers combing the banks while authorities pledged medical care for the injured, assistance to bereaved families and the repatriation of survivors to their places of origin and destination.
River transport is a lifeline in DRC’s vast rainforest regions, where old, wooden vessels are the main form of transport between villages. It is also often cheaper than travelling on the few available roads.
However, the vessels are poorly maintained and crumbling under the weight of passengers and their goods, and accidents are frequent.
On such trips, life jackets are rare, and the vessels are usually overloaded.
Many of the boats also travel at night, complicating rescue efforts during accidents and leaving many bodies often unaccounted for.
Rescue operations are also often hampered by limited resources and the remote locations of accidents.
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Trump says military carried out strike on alleged Venezuelan drug cartel vessel | Trump administration
Donald Trump said on Monday that the US military carried out a strike on an alleged Venezuelan drug cartel vessel that had been on its way to the United States.
He said three men were killed in the strike, adding that it occurred in international waters.
“This morning, on my Orders, U.S. Military Forces conducted a SECOND Kinetic Strike against positively identified, extraordinarily violent drug trafficking cartels and narcoterrorists in the SOUTHCOM area of responsibility,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
“These extremely violent drug trafficking cartels POSE A THREAT to U.S. National Security, Foreign Policy, and vital U.S. Interests,” Trump said.
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Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy sustained an ankle injury in Sunday’s 22-6 loss to the Falcons and is expected to miss next week’s game against the Bengals, head coach Kevin O’Connell announced Monday.
Carson Wentz, signed as the backup on Aug. 24, would start at quarterback instead. Bengals starting quarterback Joe Burrow will miss the game and is expected to be out for weeks with a toe injury.
O’Connell said McCarthy’s injury happened on a second-and-20 scramble in the third quarter, when he was taken down as he went out of bounds near the Vikings sideline.
“He just kind of got rolled up on,” O’Connell said. “In the moment, we didn’t necessarily think it was that significant when we came off after that series. There was somebody in the blue [medical] tent, so he got it evaluated right there, got it tape up and went back in the game. Hearing from our medical staff, it’s one of those things that tends to be much worse today than it probably was in the moment, with adrenaline and everything.“
O’Connell said he didn’t think the injury was severe enough for McCarthy to land on injured reserve, which would keep him out for a minimum of four weeks, but he didn’t have a concrete timetable for when the quarterback would return.
O’Connell added that he wanted to see how the injury responds to treatment through the week.
“Tough news there,” he said. “We’ve got our work cut out for us.”
With McCarthy out, the Vikings will turn to Wentz, who started one game each of the past two years for the Rams and Chiefs. He was the runner-up in the NFL MVP voting in 2017, when he led an Eagles team that won Super Bowl LII at U.S. Bank Stadium after Wentz tore his ACL. He was out of Philadelphia after the 2020 season, and his last year as a full-time starter was in 2021 for the Colts, when he threw 27 touchdowns against seven interceptions.
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Poland’s State Protection Service (SOP) has neutralised a drone flying that was flying over sensitive government locations in Warsaw, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said in a post on X.
Two Belarusian citizens were detained in connection with the incident and police have launched an investigation into the incident, Tusk said.
The incident comes at a time of heightened regional tensions following a string of airspace violations.
Poland says its airspace was violated in the early hours of Wednesday by a record 19 drones, believed to be from Russia.
In response, the Armed Forces of Ukraine said it would send a team to Poland to provide anti-drone training.
The Polish government has traditionally been a staunch supporter of Ukraine’s war effort.
Total support to Ukraine from Warsaw totals approximately €3.3 billion, in both military and humanitarian assistance.
Poland has also been one of the most welcoming countries in Europe for refugees from Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.
The country currently hosts the most Ukrainian refugees of any country in Europe, believed to be somewhere in the region of 1 to 1.6 million, according to the UN Refugee Agency.
Faltering support
But as Moscow’s war grinds on, anti-Ukrainian sentiment has been increasing, despite data showing that the influx of Ukrainians has brought benefits to Poland’s economy.
A study by Poland’s National Development Bank earlier this year showed Ukrainian refugees had paid more in taxes than they had received in benefits.
But a Flash Eurobarometer survey conducted last year found that support for people fleeing the war in Ukraine had a noticeably lower level of support in Poland, with around 60% of respondents favouring state support.
Meanwhile on Monday, Romania condemned what it called Moscow’s “irresponsible actions” after a Russian drone allegedly entered Romanian airspace during an aerial attack on Ukraine.
That incident, on Saturday evening, prompted Bucharest to scramble fighter jets, the defence ministry said.
On Friday, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte announced an “Eastern Sentry” programme which aims to deter further Russian incursions and show solidarity with Poland.
“We see drones violating our airspace. Whether it was intentional or not, it is unacceptable. The allies have expressed full solidarity with Poland. It is crucial to counter aggression and defend every member of the Alliance,” Rutte said.
“The defence of the eastern flank is our key task. That is why we are launching the Eastern Sentry initiative to further strengthen our eastern flank.”
Additional sources • AP
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