50 dead after a boat catches fire in Congo

A boat has capsized after catching fire in the Democratic Republic of Congo, leaving at least 50 people dead and hundreds missing, a local official said.

A boat has capsized after catching fire in the northwestern Democratic Republic of Congo, leaving at least 50 people dead and hundreds missing, a local official said on Wednesday.

Dozens were saved following the accident on the Congo River late on Tuesday night, many of them with bad burns. The search for the missing was underway Wednesday with rescue teams supported by the Red Cross and provincial authorities.

The motorized wooden boat with about 400 passengers caught fire near the town of Mbandaka, Compétent Loyoko, the river commissioner, told The Associated Press. The boat, HB Kongolo, had left the port of Matankumu for the Bolomba territory.

The Congo River on the outskirts of Mbandaka, Equateur Province, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.Alexis Huguet / AFP via Getty Images fileAbout 100 survivors were taken to an improvised shelter at the Mbandaka town hall. Those with burn injuries were taken to local hospitals.

The incident began while a woman was cooking on board, Loyoko said. Several passengers, including women and children, died after jumping into the water without being able to swim.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/50-dead-boat-catches-fire-congo-rcna201687

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