A ferry sank on Friday with passengers, mostly merchants returning for Christmas, in the DRC, causing multiple deaths
\n Kinshasa
\nAt least 38 people have died and over 100 remain missing after a ferry capsized on the Busira River in the northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), officials and witnesses confirmed on Saturday.
\nThe incident occurred late on Friday, when the ferry, part of a convoy of vessels, sank while travelling with passengers, mostly merchants returning home for Christmas.
\nJoseph Joseph Kangolingoli, the mayor of Ingende \u2013 the last town on the river before the site of the accident \u2013 confirmed that 20 people had been rescued so far.
\nAccording to Ndolo Kaddy, an Ingende resident, the ferry carried \u201cmore than 400 people\u201d because it made stops at Ingende and Loolo before heading to Boende. \u201cThere is reason to believe there were more deaths,\u201d Kaddy added. Central government authorities have yet to provide further details or comment on the ongoing rescue efforts.
\nThe DRC\u2019s government has long warned about the dangers of overloading boats and promised to punish those responsible for violations of safety measures on rivers.
\nHowever, in many remote regions, public transportation options are limited, forcing people to rely on ferries and other vessels despite the safety risks.
\nThe latest tragedy follows a series of deadly boat accidents in the DRC. Just four days before this incident, another boat capsized in the country\u2019s northeast, killing 25 people.
\nIn October, at least 78 people drowned when a boat, reportedly carrying hundreds of passengers, capsized on Lake Kivu in the country\u2019s east whereas, a similar accident in June on the Kwa River near Kinshasa claimed the lives of 80 people.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A ferry sank on Friday with passengers, mostly merchants returning for Christmas, in the DRC, causing multiple deaths Kinshasa At least 38 people have died and over 100 remain missing after a ferry capsized on the Busira River in the northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), officials and witnesses confirmed on Saturday. The incident […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":451011,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-450986","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n