A boat has actually capsized after igniting in northwestern Congo, leaving at least 50 people dead and hundreds missing, a local authorities stated on Wednesday.Dozens were conserved following the accident on the Congo River late on Tuesday night, a lot of them with bad burns.
The look for the missing was underway Wednesday with rescue groups supported by the Red Cross and provincial authorities.The motorized wooden boat with about 400 passengers ignited near the town of Mbandaka, Comptent 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 city center.
Those with burn injuries were required to local hospitals.The occurrence began while a woman was cooking on board, Loyoko said.
A number of passengers, including ladies and children, died after jumping into the water without having the ability to swim.Deadly boat mishaps are common in the main African nation, where late-night travels and overcrowded vessels are typically blamed.
Authorities have actually struggled to impose maritime regulations.Congos rivers are a significant ways of transportation for its more than 100 million people, specifically in remote areas where infrastructure is poor or nonexistent.Hundreds have been killed in boat mishaps recently as more people desert the few available roadways for wooden vessels loaded with passengers and their goods.Source: AP-- Agencies