At least 22 dead after two boats collide on Congo river, official says

At least 22 ​people have died after two ​boats collided on the ‌Congo River ​in the Democratic Republic of Congo, an official said. The incident occurred near the ‌town of Ngombe in Lukolela territory in western Equateur province at around 2 a.m. local time (0100 GMT) on Saturday, Crispin Mputu, the ‌provincial interior minister, told Reuters.

The collision involved two vessels travelling ‌on the river. One was a commercial boat operating between Kinshasa and Mbandaka, while the other was a passenger riverboat travelling from Mongala province to Kinshasa, ⁠Mputu ​said. The impact caused ⁠the passenger boat to sink. A security source told Reuters it had ⁠163 passengers on board.

Twenty-two bodies have been recovered and buried, while ​59 people were rescued, Mputu said. He added that other ⁠victims might have been buried elsewhere. The sunken vessel remains submerged at a depth ⁠of ​12 meters and recovery efforts were continuing on Monday evening, Mputu said.

River transport is the main form of travel ⁠and trade in much of western Congo, where towns and cities are ⁠located along ⁠the Congo River, but accidents are common because vessels are often overcrowded and poorly maintained.