50 dead after boat capsizes in DR Congo

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Fifty people died after their boat capsized in a remote northwestern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), officials said on Friday, without further details however as to what caused the sinking.

The accident happened on the Momboyo River Wednesday night, Richard Mboyo Iluka, vice governor of Tshuapa Province, told AFP news agency, saying: "We found 49 bodies on Thursday and another one this morning."

About an equal number of people survived the accident, he also told Radio Top Congo.

The boat had been transporting passengers and a large amount of goods from the town of Monkoto to the city of Mbandaka in Equateur Province, local residents said.

"The causes of the sinking and the number of people missing are not yet known. The provincial government has already sent a team there to find out more," Mboyo said.

He added, however, that the boat had been travelling by night – something that is illegal under government safety measures – and did not have lights.

Accidents are a frequent hazard on the DRC's rivers and lakes, due to decrepit boats, overloading, lack of safety equipment and the fact that few Congolese know how to swim.

In February, at least 14 people were reported missing when two boats sank on the Congo River.

Most of the region's population rely on boats that criss-cross the many rivers and lakes as a low-cost form of transport. But in the absence of an organized public transport system, private businesses have invested in the sector. These operators are often accused of failing to follow safety regulations.

(Cover: File photo shows lorries and people crossing the Congo River in Kisangani, DRC. /VCG Photo)

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Source(s): AFP ,Reuters