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At least 145 passengers are missing after a motorboat full of goods and animals sank overnight on a river in the northwestern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), authorities said Thursday.
About 55 people survived the disaster, officials said. The boat was heading for the neighboring Republic of the Congo when it capsized on the Rulonga River on Tuesday night near the town of Basinkus.
At least 145 people are missing, Jean-Pierre Wangera, head of civil society groups in the region, told reporters. He blamed overloading for the sinking, but said residents had little choice.
“Currently, there is no other means of transportation in our state and here in Basinkus territory,” he said.
In remote areas of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, land travel may not be possible, and shipwrecks with dozens of deaths are all too common. Many boats are full of supplies and non-swimmers. Rescue efforts are very limited in remote areas of the country.
In October, more than 40 people died in similar conditions on the Congo River in Equateur province.
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