One hundred and fifty people in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) were feared dead on Tuesday after a crowded boat capsized on the Kasai river between Ilebo and Tshikapa, the provincial governor said.
The disaster occurred Sunday night, said Andre-Claudel Lubaya, speaking from Kananga, capital of the Kasai Occidental province on the frontier with Angola.
He said 190 passengers were aboard the vessel, which he described as a whaleboat — a long, open boat.
Only 40 are known to have escaped when it capsized 30km from its destination, Lubaya said, adding that the victims ”still have not come to the surface”.
Lubaya said the boat, owned by a local businessman, had room for 120 passengers, but was overloaded with people and merchandise.
He said rescue teams have been dispatched to the area to look for bodies. — Sapa-AFP