More than 50 people have died and dozens remain missing after a boat capsized earlier this week on the Congo River in Equateur province, Democratic Republic of Congo, according to a report by national television on Thursday.
The vessel, carrying around 100 passengers, sank overnight from Monday to Tuesday near Mayita, about 40 kilometers from the city of Mbandaka.
Provincial Red Cross head Maitre Kolomba Mampunia told national broadcaster RTNC that the provisional death toll has surpassed 50.
The boat, named Fortune HB Jado, was en route from Mbandaka to the Mobenzani market in Bomongo territory when its roof collapsed during docking operations, the report stated.
Authorities have blamed the disaster on violations of navigation regulations, particularly overloading and traveling at night. Mboyo Loyoko, river commissioner of Mbandaka, highlighted these issues as key causes of the accident.
Equateur province governor Bobo Boloko Bolumbu said he dispatched a Red Cross team to the scene and has launched humanitarian aid efforts as the search continues for those still missing.