Death Toll In Passenger Boat Accident In Congo Becomes 29 People

UNSPLASH/insung YOON ILLUSTRATION

JAKARTA - The death toll from a river ship crash in the western Democratic Republic of Congo jumped to 29 people.

A total of 128 survivors have been identified and a number are still missing, local authorities said.

Rescue efforts were carried out for days after a boat carrying 250 to 300 passengers capsized on Sunday night when it hit a tree trunk under the river in the Kutung area.

"Excess cargo and navigation at night that violates regulations is seen as the cause of this tragedy," Kutau administrator Jacques Nzeza told Reuters by telephone, Thursday, August 22.

He said 29 known fatalities included 15 women and one child.

The head of the local civil society group, Fidele Lizoringo, said fishermen saw four bodies floating in the river but had not been able to evacuate them.

It is unclear how many people are still missing because the exact number of passengers on board is unknown. Meanwhile, some survivors left immediately after the accident before they could be counted, Nzeza said.