More Than 100 Dead and Missing in a Boat Accident in Congo

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The local authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo announced Saturday that more than 100 passengers died or went missing after a boat sank in the Congo River on Monday night.

With no official statements on the total number of passengers, the number of missing is an estimate based on the capacity of the boat.

#UPDATES Fifty-one bodies have been recovered so far from the sinking on the Congo river overnight Monday-Tuesday, with another 69 believed missing, a spokesman for the governor of northwestern province of Mongala, says, adding there were 39 survivors

— AFP News Agency (@AFP) October 9, 2021

Nestor Magbado, a spokesperson for the governor of the northwestern province of Mongala, mentioned that 51 bodies had been recovered by late Friday and another 69 are believed to be missing, while 39 others survived.

Magbado explained that the boat consisted of nine motorboats connected to each other, which might have sunk due to "overcrowding aggravated by bad weather."

The Congolese media did not report on the details of the accident until Friday evening, while it was confirmed on Saturday by provincial authorities.

In this context, Mgbado explained that the Mongala authorities had informed Kinshasa of the accident just after it occurred, but had waited for more information about the number of casualties.

The Congolese spokesperson confirmed that the search is underway to find more bodies, noting that hopes of finding more survivors are fading.

Mongala authorities have declared three days of mourning from Monday.