At least 38 people were killed when a ferry carrying Christmas passengers capsized in the Busila River in the northeast.
advertiseMore than 100 people were reported missing and 20 people had been rescued, officials and witnesses said Saturday.
The ferry sank on Friday night, less than four days after another capsized in the country’s northeast, killing 25 people.
Joseph Joseph Kangolinoli, the mayor of Ingende, the last town on the river before the accident, said the ferry was sailing in a convoy of other ships and that the passengers were mainly returning Businessman celebrating Christmas at home.
Ingende resident Ndolo Kadi said the ferry was carrying “more than 400 people and since it passed through the ports of Ingende and Lulo on its way to Bonde, there is reason to believe there are more People die.
Congolese officials regularly warn boats of overcrowding and vow to punish those who violate river safety measures. However, in remote areas, many people cannot afford public transport on the few available roads.
And capsizing of overloaded ships is becoming more frequent. For safety reasons, more and more people are abandoning the few available roads in favor of wooden boats that teeter under the weight of passengers and cargo.
Roads are frequently blocked by deadly clashes between Congolese security forces and rebels, sometimes blocking main thoroughfares.
In October, at least 78 people drowned when an overloaded ship sank in the east of the country; in June, a similar accident near Kinshasa killed 80 people.
The latest accident has sparked anger over the government’s failure to equip fleets with flotation devices.
Nesty Bonina, a member of the local government and a prominent figure in Mbandaka, the capital of Equateur province where the ferry sank, condemned authorities for failing to properly handle the latest sinking.
“How can ships sail at night under the watchful eye of river service personnel? Now we have recorded more than a hundred deaths,” Bonina said.
