20 killed in Congo riverboat accident, hundreds missing
Officials in the Democratic Republic of the Congo said Tuesday that a weekend accident on the Lukeni River killed at least 20 people. Forty-six people were rescued, an official told The Associated Press, but hundreds remain missing.
A crowded motorized wooden vessel headed to the town of Nioki was carrying goods and about 300 people overnight Saturday into Sunday when it hit something in the water and sank, Kutu district administrator Jacques Nzena told Agence France-Presse. He said a 9-month-old baby was among the retrieved bodies.
Navigating at night is illegal in Congo.
“We are constantly reminding everyone that it is forbidden to sail at night, because it is very dangerous,” Nzenza said.
A provincial commission is investigating the incident, Governor Lebon Nkoso Kevan of Maï-Ndombe Province said Tuesday.
Night navigation and overcrowded boats are chronic transportation problems in the central African country. Deadly accidents happen frequently on its waterways because there are few passable roads.
Authorities often issue warnings about the dangers of night navigation and overcrowded vessels.
