At least 148 people died in the Congo Democratic Republic After a motorized wooden vessel caught and turned, media reported on Friday by citing local officials.
According to reports, the boat transported up to 500 passengersamong them women and children, when he overturned Tuesday in the Congo River, in the northwestern region of the country.
Navigation accidents are frequent in Congo, where old wooden boats are the main means of transportation between villages are often loaded above their capacity.
The authorities estimate that hundreds of people are still missing, reports said.
About 100 survivors were transferred to an improvised shelter at the town hall of the town, while those who had burns were hospitalized, he reported Sky News.
The incident occurred when a fire began while a woman cooked aboard the boat, explained to Associated Press A local official. Several passengers, including women and children, died after jumping into the water without knowing how to swim, the report added.
At least 78 people died drowned in 2024 when a vessel overturned with 278 passengers in Lake Kivu, in the east of the Congo. In another incident, at least 22 people died after shipping a boat in December in the west of the country.
