At least 80 people have died after a boat sank in the Democratic Republic (DR) of Congo, the country’s president has said.
The disaster happened on Wednesday on the Kwa River, 70 kilometres from the town of Mushie in the province of Maï-Ndombe, near the border with neighbouring Congo-Brazzaville.
In a statement on social media, president Félix Tshisekedi said he was “devastated”.
The president said those affected would receive help.
Tshisekedi also called for an investigation “into the true causes of this unfortunate incident, to prevent such a disaster from happening again in the future”, noted the presidency on X, formerly Twitter.
Deadly boat accidents are common in DR Congo, where boats are frequently overcrowded with passengers who are rarely given safety jackets and often cannot swim. – BBC
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