36 people feared drowned, 66 others rescued after boat mishap in DRC

Rescue officials in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) had a tough job trying to rescue survivors when a boat sank in the Congo river on the outskirts of the country’s capital, Kinshasa.

Authorities say no less than 36 victims were feared drowned, while 66 others were rescued when the vessel, which was travelling to the capital, went down overnight on Sunday in Maluku commune, about 100km (62 miles) from the centre of the city.

Seventy-six people survived, police wrote on Twitter.

READ ALSO: Saudi ignores plea by WHO, bans pilgrims, from DRC, 3 other countries over Ebola scare

“The cause of the accident is not yet known,” police spokesman Colonel Pierrot-Rombaut Mwanamputu said.

Lake and river transport is widely used in the Republic of Congo as the highway system is poor, but accidents are common, often caused by overloading and the unsafe state of vessels.

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now