Dozens dead after ‘overloaded’ boat sinks in Congo River

Addis Ababa, February 16, 2021 (FBC) -Officials in the Democratic Republic of Congo say more than 60 people have drowned after a barge capsized and sank on the Congo River.

Three-hundred people have been rescued but possibly 200 others are unaccounted for following the accident.

Locals said the boat hit a rock east of the capital, Kinshasa, while travelling at night, which is forbidden.

The Congolese minister for humanitarian affairs, Steve Mbikayi, called for those responsible for the boat to be charged, according to BBC.