No fewer than 80 people have died after a boat sank in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the country’s president has said.
The catastrophe occurred on the Kwa River, 70 kilometres (44 miles) from the town of Mushie in the Maï-Ndombe region, close to the border with neighbouring Congo-Brazzaville, on Wednesday.
President Félix Tshisekedi expressed his “devastation” on social media.
The president issued an order for an investigation into what caused it, in addition to promising assistance to anyone impacted.
“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 said on X, formerly Twitter.
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, fatal boat accidents are not uncommon due to overcrowding on boats carrying people who are not always able to swim and are rarely provided with life jackets.
