By Ene Mary McDickson, Correspondent, Frontline Daily | September 25, 2026

A boat travelling from Kigoma, Tanzania, to Kalemie in the Democratic Republic of Congo's Tanganyika province capsized on Lake Tanganyika on Thursday, 24 September 2026, leaving at least 41 people dead, according to the Associated Press.

The vessel was carrying about 100 people along with cargo when it went down near the village of Mapera, Norris Mulongoyi, Tanganyika province's transport minister, told the Associated Press. He said 49 people had been rescued, while a search continued for the remaining passengers.

The cause of the capsizing was not immediately clear. According to the Associated Press, hundreds of people have died in boat disasters on Congo's waterways in recent years, with vessels frequently overloaded and lacking sufficient life jackets.

Lake Tanganyika, the world's largest freshwater lake and the second deepest after Lake Baikal, straddles the borders of Tanzania, Congo, Burundi and Zambia, and remains a vital cross-border transport route for passengers and goods despite its history of deadly accidents.