Media reports cited by local officials on Friday said at least 148 people were found dead in the Democratic Republic of Congo after an electric wooden boat was fired and capsized.
Reports say the boat carried as many as 500 passengers, including women and children, when it was overturned on the Congo River in the northwest part of the country on Tuesday.
27 Death in northwest Congo after boat capsize
Boat accidents are common in Congo. There, old wooden ships are the main form of transport between villages, loaded far beyond their capacity.
The flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo will be seen in Beijing on May 26, 2023. (Photo: wang xin/vcg)
Authorities estimate hundreds of people are still missing, the report added. The death toll was previously estimated at 50.
A boat called HB Congolo set fire to the town of Mundanka and left Matanum port for Bolomba territory.
According to Sky News, about 100 survivors were taken to improvised shelters at the local town hall, and burned people were taken to local hospitals.
The incident occurred when a fire began when a woman was cooking on a boat, Director of the River Bureau, Royoko, told the Associated Press.
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Several passengers, including women and children, died after jumping into the water without being able to swim, the report added.
At least 78 people owned when a boat with 278 passengers capsized on Lake Kivu in eastern Congo. Another incident killed at least 22 people after a river boat sank in western Congo in December.
