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Congolese health authorities intercepted a riverboat carrying 200 passengers to Kinshasa on Thursday after a passenger who disembarked earlier died from symptoms consistent with Ebola.
The vessel, travelling from the northeastern commercial hub of Kisangani, was halted at the river port of Maluku, roughly 65 kilometres from the capital city of more than 17 million people.
Health Minister Samuel Roger Kamba announced during a news conference that officials immediately deployed a mobile laboratory to the site to test every passenger and crew member on board.
The suspected victim, a 32-year-old man, disembarked in Mongala province—about 550 kilometres downstream—before developing fatal symptoms.
A provincial health report obtained by Reuters revealed that medical personnel could not collect a biological sample because the facility lacked testing kits.
While Kamba confirmed that no other deaths occurred among the boat’s travellers during the weeks-long river journey, the incident highlights heightened concerns as the wider regional outbreak has already infected 3,973 people and killed 1,801 across five affected provinces.
