DR Congo holds funeral for victims of ferry accident on Lake Kivu

An official funeral was held on Thursday in Goma, the capital of the North Kivu Province in the east of Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo), in memory of the victims of the recent deadly ferry accident on Lake Kivu, Xinhua reports. ALSO READ: Lake Kivu boat accident: Death toll rises to 78 The burial of 11 identified bodies of Goma residents killed after the ferry MV MERDI capsized on Lake Kivu a week ago took place at the Makao cemetery. At least 87 people were killed last Thursday after the ferry capsized near the port of Kituku, according to a provincial government report that did not specify the number of people on board. The ferry broke into three pieces and is currently at a depth of about 198 meters in Lake Kivu, said Jean Romuald Lipopo, vice-governor of the province, who was present at the funeral, noting that the methane gas in Lake Kivu has hampered search efforts. The ferry, coming from Minova in the province of South Kivu, sank hundreds of meters from the port after failing to withstand the speed of a violent wave, according to sources at the port of Kituku. Local sources reported a significant overload of the ferry. The land route between Goma and Minova has been cut off for months due to hostilities between armed groups and the DR Congo military. Cases of shipwrecks are frequently recorded on Lake Kivu due to strong winds and overloading.

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DR Congo holds funeral for victims of ferry accident on Lake Kivu