More than 80 people have died in a boat accident on the River Kwa in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Mai-Ndombe province, the presidency announced on Wednesday.
Boat accidents are frequent in Congo, where vessels often exceed their capacity due to limited paved roads across its vast, forested terrain, making river travel common.
“The President of the Republic is calling for an investigation into the true causes of this unfortunate incident, to prevent such a disaster from happening again in the future,” the presidency stated on X.
Mai-Ndombe province governor, Rita Bola Dula, attributed the incident to night sailing, and investigations are ongoing.