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By JEAN-YVES KAMALE
KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — A boat has capsized after catching fire
in northwestern Congo, leaving at least 50 people dead and
hundreds missing, a local official said on Wednesday.
Dozens were saved following the accident on the Congo River late
on Tuesday night, many of them with bad burns. The search for
the missing was underway Wednesday with rescue teams supported
by the Red Cross and provincial authorities.
The motorized wooden boat with about 400 passengers caught fire
near the town of Mbandaka, Compétent Loyoko, the river
commissioner, told The Associated Press. The boat, HB Kongolo,
had left the port of Matankumu for the Bolomba territory.
About 100 survivors were taken to an improvised shelter at the
Mbandaka town hall. Those with burn injuries were taken to local
hospitals.
The incident began while a woman was cooking on board, Loyoko
said. Several passengers, including women and children, died
after jumping into the water without being able to swim.
Deadly boat accidents are common in the central African country,
where late-night travels and overcrowded vessels are often
blamed. Authorities have struggled to enforce maritime
regulations.
Congo’s rivers are a major means of transport for its more than
100 million people, especially in remote areas where
infrastructure is poor or nonexistent.
Hundreds have been killed in boat accidents in recent years as
more people abandon the few available roads for wooden vessels
packed with passengers and their goods.
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