Democratic Republic of Congo boat mishap: 15 dead, others missing
Kikwit,
Jan
21:
Fifteen
people
died
and
more
were
missing
after
a
boat
capsized
in
high
winds
on
a
lake
in
western
Democratic
Republic
of
Congo,
local
sources
said
on
Tuesday.
The
accident
occurred
Monday
at
Bankay
on
Lake
Mai-Ndombe,
the
mayor
of
Inongo,
Cosmos
Mbo
Wemba,
said
on
Monday,
giving
a
provisional
toll.
The vessel, a large canoe called a pirogue, was carrying around 30 people who were returning from a funeral 35 kilometres (20 miles) away, said local radio journalist Firoger Balimba.
Boats and canoes are major forms of travel in DR Congo, a country the size of continental western Europe whose lakes and rivers substitute for decrepit road infrastructure. But the annual toll from drownings is high, given poor boat maintenance and overloading, and many Congolese do not learn to swim.
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Mbo Wemba said "a high wind struck the dilapidated boat," adding "the search for bodies is ongoing".