“Congo ferry capsizes with people returning home for Christmas: At least 38 dead 38 people dead and more than 100 missing after ferry capsizes on Congo’s Busira River. The ship was overloaded with passengers returning home for Christmas, only 20 people were saved.”, — write on: unn.ua
Details
According to reports, 20 people are known to have been rescued.
The ferry was traveling as part of a convoy of other vessels and the passengers were mostly businessmen returning home for Christmas, the town’s mayor, Ingende, said.
According to local residents, there were “more than 400 people on the ferry, because on the way to Boende it made two stops – in Ingende and Loolo, so there are reasons to believe that there were more casualties.”
Congolese authorities often warn against overloading boats and promise to punish violators of river safety measures. However, in remote areas, many people cannot afford public transport.
The ferry sank less than four days after another vessel sank in the country’s northeast, killing 25 people.
At least 78 people drowned in October when an overloaded boat capsized in the east of the country, and in June 80 people died in a similar accident near Kinshasa.
A ferry sank in Indonesia: 15 people died, 19 were missingJuly 24 2023, 01:18 • 177832 views