Sadly, the sinking of overloaded ferry boats in the developing world is not new news. It happens with a great enough frequency that it is easy to overlook. Which may be why these tragedies are worth noting. Last weekend, an overcrowded boat sank on Lake Mai-Ndombe in the Democratic Republic of Congo.  The majority of those on board were teachers going to collect their salaries, a local mayor told the BBC.

According to the provincial governor, Antoine Masamba, the boat had been carrying some 400 passengers, of whom 45 were confirmed dead and 200 were still unaccounted for. The vessel was not meant to carry more than 80 people. Its official manifest indicates that it had about 130 passengers.

The Democratic Republic of Congo, which is about the size of mainland Western Europe, has a poor road network, and large areas are inaccessible except by air or boat. Many of the passenger ferries on its lakes and rivers are poorly maintained and overloaded.

Following the most recent sinking, the provincial governor announced a ban on wooden passenger boats more than five years old operating on the lake. 

Last month, at least 167 people died in two boat accidents on Lake Kivu. This prompted Felix Tshisekedi, who became president in January, to make it mandatory for passengers to wear life jackets. But it is not clear if those on the boat that sank on Saturday were wearing any.