At least 25 are killed and dozens are missing after an overcrowded boat capsizes in Congo

KINSHASA, Congo -- An overcrowded boat capsized on a river in central Congo on Tuesday, killing at least 25 people, including children, and leaving dozens missing, officials and local residents said.

The vessel was believed to have more than 100 passengers on board after leaving from the town of Inongo, northeast of the capital of Kinshasa. It capsized a few hundred meters (yards) into the journey along the Fimi River, the latest such tragedy to strike Congo.

A search was underway for the missing hours later on Tuesday as concerns rose that the death toll could be far higher.

“There was overloading at roof level and, as far as the lifeless human bodies are concerned, at least 25 have been recovered so far," said David Kalemba, Inongo’s river commissioner.

The capsized boat was also loaded with goods, according to Alex Mbumba, a resident of the area. “Among the dead are children, but it’s difficult to give an exact death toll at the moment as ... the boat had a lot of passengers,” said Mbumba.

Tuesday's wreck was the fourth this year in the Maï-Ndombe province, a region surrounded by rivers and where many rely on river transportation.

Congolese officials have often warned against overloading and vowed to punish those violating safety measures for water transportation. However, in remote areas where most passengers come from, many are unable to afford public transport for the few available roads.

At least 78 people drowned in October when an overloaded boat sank in the country’s east while 80 lost their lives in a similar accident near Kinshasa in June.

The latest accident prompted calls for the government to equip the province with flotation devices.

“The government must act to improve safety on the waters of our province (because) navigation conditions are dangerous,” said Mbumba.

The capsizing of overloaded boats is also becoming increasingly frequent in this central African nation as more people are abandoning the few available roads for wooden vessels crumbling under the weight of passengers and their goods because of security reasons.

The roads are often caught up in the deadly clashes between Congolese security forces and rebels that sometimes block major access routes. Hundreds have already been killed or declared missing in such accidents so far this year.

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McMakin reported from Dakar, Senegal, and Katumwa from Goma, Congo.