“A boat accident on the Lukeni river in western Congo over the weekend left at least 20 people dead and hundreds missing, ” a local official said on Tuesday.
According to Kutu territory administrator Jacques Nzenza Mongie during a news conference, the motorized wooden boat was carrying about 300 passengers and navigating by night when it crashed into a sunken barge.
“At least 20 corpses were found during searches on Tuesday,” Mongie told The Associated Press. He further said that additional 46 people were rescued and hundreds were still missing.
“Navigating by night is illegal in Congo and a provincial commission is currently at the site of the accident to determine who was responsible,” Gov. Lebon Nkoso Kevan of Maï-Ndombe province said on Tuesday.
Congolese officials have often warned against overloading and vowed to punish those violating safety measures for water transportation.
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