A boat carrying passengers and cargo has sunk in the Congo River in an accident at General Kalume port in Nganda Musolo, west of Kinshasa.
The incident occurred on Sunday afternoon, October 4, 2026, when one of the four barges making up the Global Express vessel was manoeuvring at the port.
Initial reports indicate that several people who were on board are missing. The barge was also carrying a large quantity of palm oil, which spilled into the Congo River after the vessel sank.
People at the scene said the spilled oil has made rescue and search operations more difficult, covering a large area of the water and complicating efforts to locate possible survivors.
Global Express had departed from Mbandaka and arrived at the Nganda Musolo port on Saturday without incident. The exact cause of the sinking remains unclear.
As of Sunday evening, authorities had not released the exact number of passengers and crew on board, nor confirmed the number of deaths or injuries.
Rescue teams continued searching for people who may still be alive, while local residents travelled to the scene in small boats. Some were also seen collecting palm oil that had spilled into the river.
The accident comes just a day after another incident on the Congo River, in which two passenger boats collided in Équateur Province, with fatalities also reported.