Dozens dead after boat accident in DR Congo | World News

Dozens of people are believed to have died in a boating accident in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Thursday’s incident was the latest boating accident in the central African countrywhere overcrowding is often blamed.

Witnesses told The Associated Press that at least 50 people died when the boat capsized on Lake Kivu in the east of the country, with another 10 taken to hospital.

According to Colonel Molatelo Motau of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) mission, about 23 bodies were recovered and 40 people were rescued.

A local migration agency said about 45 men and 35 women were registered as passengers, according to Reuters news agency, although these are not final figures.

Several survivors told Reuters they saw nearly 200 people on board, while AP reported witnesses saying the boat was overloaded with passengers and sank while trying to dock just meters from Kituku harbor.

Reuters also reports that it has seen video – which has not been verified – showing the two-story boat tipping sideways before sinking in calm waters.

This summer, 80 passengers died when an overloaded boat sank near the capital Kinshasa.

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About 150 people died in April 2019when a boat sank in Lake Kivu.

Such incidents are common in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where there are few roads outside major cities and boats are often loaded far beyond their capacity.