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Provincial authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo stated that 51 bodies were found after the temporary ship capsized and nearly 70 bodies are believed to be missing.
According to the provincial authorities of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), more than 50 people have died after a temporary ship capsized on the Congo River earlier this week, and more people are believed to be missing.
Nestor Magbado, a spokesperson for the governor of Mongara in the northwest, told AFP that as of Friday night, 51 bodies had been recovered from the ship that sank from Monday to Tuesday night. It is believed that there were nearly 70 bodies. Missing. The news agency on Saturday.
He said there were 39 survivors.
He said that since there is no passenger list on the ship, the number of missing persons is estimated based on the capacity of the ship.
Magbado said the boat is nine traditional wooden canoes, called canoes, all tied together.
He added that the accident may have been caused by “increased congestion due to bad weather” at night.
The scale of the accident was unclear until the media reported it late on Friday and was confirmed by provincial authorities on Saturday.
Magbado said the Mongara authorities notified the authorities in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, immediately after the sinking, but has been waiting for more information on the number of casualties.
He said that search and rescue operations are continuing, but hopes of finding more survivors are fading.
The provincial authorities have announced three days of mourning starting from Monday.
In this vast country rich in mineral resources, ship accidents are common because ships are often full of passengers and cargo. Most passengers who travel by boat often do not wear life jackets.
In February, a ship carrying 700 passengers capsized on the Congo River near Longola Ekoti village in Maindombe province, killing at least 60 people.
In January, after a passenger ship sank in Lake Kivu, at least three people (including two children and a woman) drowned.
In May 2020, 10 people, including an 8-year-old girl, died after their leisure boat capsized on Lake Kivu. In July 2010, a ship capsized in the western province of Bandundu, killing more than 135 people.
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