12 people are reported missing after boat submerges on Lake Mweru

Barely two months after 14 Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) congregants died on lake Bangweulu, 12 people are missing after a boat carrying 32 people submerged on Lake Mweru in Nchelenge District of Luapula Province.

According to Deputy Police Public Relations Officer Danny Mwale, two people including a coxswain died while eighteen people managed to swim to safety.

Mwale in a statement issued in Lusaka on Tuesday said the deceased, a Coxswaine identified as John Kamobole aged 45 of Nchelenge District and Mutumbu Mwembo aged between six and 12 months were retrieved soon after the incident.

He said the incident occurred Tuesday, April 18, 2023 between 06:00 hours and 08:00 hours on Lake Mweru waters as the boat was heading towards Kashobwe area of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) from Kilwa Island on the Zambian side.

“Police Preliminary investigations indicate that most of the passengers were Congolese nationals using a boat belonging to a Zambian,” Mwale said.

He said further investigations have revealed that the accident happened due to strong waves on the Lake and the search and rescue operation for the missing persons is ongoing.

“The search and rescue operation for the missing persons is ongoing,” Mwale said.

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