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A motorised pirogue carrying market traders capsized on the Makona River at the Nongoa crossing on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, killing a woman and an 18-month-old child and leaving a Guinean soldier missing.
The boat was returning from the weekly market in Nongoa, Guinea, to Sierra Leone when it began taking on water mid-river around 2 p.m., according to Guinean authorities. Most passengers were Sierra Leonean traders heading home after the market day.
Tamba Gabriel Bongono, mayor of the Nongoa rural commune, said 43 people were registered aboard. Rescuers pulled 41 survivors from the water, while the woman and child were confirmed dead. Search efforts continued for the missing soldier, identified by the mayor as a Guinean agent.
Mayor Bongono credited life jackets with limiting the death toll. “What helped us a lot is that the passengers were wearing life jackets,” he told Guinéenews.
Panic broke out as the boat began to sink. “At one point, there was panic on board. Most were women, and the pirogue overturned,” the mayor said.
One account suggested the boat’s engine failed mid-crossing, and the vessel was carried by the current before striking a tree and capsizing.
The accident has renewed concerns about safety on the Makona River, a route used daily by traders from both countries. Questions remain about the boat’s condition, capacity, and safety compliance.
The cause of the water infiltration remains under investigation.