KINSHASA, DR Congo
At least 60 people have died and hundreds are missing after a boat capsized in the Congo River in western Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), according to a government official.
Steve
Mbikayi, minister for humanitarian action, told Al Jazeera on Monday 700 people
were on board the vessel that sunk near the village of Longola Ekoti, in
Mai-Ndombe province, the previous night.
“So far the rescue team has
recovered 60 lifeless bodies and 300 survivors. There are still several missing
after this shipwreck,” Mbikayi said.
The vessel had departed from the capital, Kinshasa, and was heading to
Equator province.
Survivors of the boat accident |
Boat accidents are common in the vast mineral-rich
country because vessels are often overloaded with passengers and cargo. Most of
the passengers travelling on vessels also often do not wear life jackets.
Last month, at least three people, two children and
one woman, drowned after a passenger boat sank in
Lake Kivu.
In May 2020, 10 people, including an eight-year-old
girl, died after the leisure boat they were travelling on capsized in Lake
Kivu. In July 2010, more than 135 people died after a boat capsized in the western
province of Bandundu. -
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