At Least 22 Dead After Two Boats Collide on Congo River

A screenshot from a video by AP.

A boat sinks in the Congo River outside Kinshasa.

At least 22 people have died after two boats collided on the Congo River in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Reuters reported citing congo's interior minister.

The incident occurred near the town of Ngombe, in Lukolela territory in western Equateur province, at around 2am local time (01:00 GMT) on Saturday, provincial Interior Minister Crispin Mputu told Reuters.

The collision involved two vessels travelling along the river. One was a commercial boat operating between Kinshasa and Mbandaka, while the other was a passenger vessel travelling from Mongala province to Kinshasa, Mputu said.

The impact caused the passenger boat to sink. A security source told Reuters that 163 passengers were on board.

Mputu said 22 bodies had been recovered and buried, while 59 people had been rescued. He added that further victims may have been buried elsewhere.

The sunken vessel remained submerged at a depth of 12 metres, with recovery efforts continuing on Monday evening, Mputu said.

River transport is the main means of travel and trade across much of western Congo, where towns and cities are located along the Congo River. However, accidents are common due to overcrowding and poor maintenance of vessels.



PUKMEDIA