At least 30 people have died and dozens more are missing after two boats collided on the Congo River in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo).
The accident occurred on Sunday evening near the Ngombe-Lukolela area of Equateur Province in northwestern DR Congo, according to provincial officials.
Equateur Interior Minister Crispin Mputu said a metal vessel named Dieu se cache, travelling from the capital, Kinshasa, collided with a wooden boat, HB Super Victoire, which was coming from Businga.
“Almost all the passengers on board were trapped underwater, and the boat itself also sank,” Mputu said.
He added that 30 people drowned in the accident and that their bodies had already been buried. Search-and-rescue operations are ongoing to locate those still missing.
The exact cause of the collision remains unclear. However, officials said travelling at night has contributed to several boat accidents in the region.
A security officer who witnessed the incident told the Associated Press that the vessel travelling from Kinshasa was overloaded with goods.
Boat accidents are common in DR Congo, where overcrowding, night-time travel, poor safety standards and inadequate infrastructure are frequently blamed for deadly disasters.
In July, at least 20 people were killed when a wooden boat carrying students returning from state examinations sank in Kasai Province.
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