KINSHASA: A motorized boat capsized in northwestern Congo’s Equateur Province, killing at least 86 people, state media reported Friday.
The state news agency reported that the accident occurred on Wednesday in Basankusu territory, and that most of the victims were students.
It was not immediately clear what caused the accident although state media attributed it to “improper loading and night navigation,” citing reports from the scene.
Images that appear to be from the scene showed villagers gathered around bodies as they mourned.
A local civil society group blamed the accident on the government and claimed the toll was higher. Authorities could not be immediately reached for comment.
The capsizing of boats is becoming increasingly frequent in this central African nation as more people are abandoning the few available roads for cheaper, wooden vessels crumbling under the weight of passengers and their goods.
In such trips, life jackets are rare and the vessels are usually overloaded.
Many of the boats also travel at night, complicating rescue efforts during accidents and leaving many bodies often unaccounted for.
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Boat capsizes in Congo, killing at least 86, most of them students
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Boat capsizes in Congo, killing at least 86, most of them students
- Images that appear to be from the scene showed villagers gathered around bodies as they mourned
- A local civil society group blamed the accident on the government and claimed the toll was higher
UN seeks emergency funding to support cyclone-hit Sri Lanka
COLOMBO: The United Nations called on international donors on Thursday to help provide crucial assistance to Sri Lanka, grappling with the aftermath of deadly Cyclone Ditwah.
The devastating storm, which hit the island nation late last month, killed at least 639 people and affected more than 2 million others — about 10 percent of the population — causing extensive damage to homes, roads, bridges, industries and agriculture.
Some 200 people are still missing.
The UN’s top envoy to the country, Marc-Andre Franche, announced plans for a $35.3-million emergency fund which he said was needed to feed and cater to the basic needs of 658,000 people who have been worst affected.
The fund excludes reconstruction of damaged infrastructure or personal property and focuses solely on immediate basic needs.
Franche said $9.5 million had already been secured, with the European Union, Switzerland, Britain and the United States among the donors pledging funds.
The United Nations urged member states and other donors to help raise the remaining $25.8 million for the daunting recovery and reconstruction effort.
The natural disaster, which President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has described as the most challenging for his country, struck as Sri Lanka was emerging from its worst economic crisis.
It defaulted on its $46-billion external debt in April 2022, and secured a $2.9-billion bailout from the International Monetary Fund in early 2023, having only stabilized the economy earlier this year.
“The disaster is hitting the country at a moment when around 25 percent of Sri Lankans still live in poverty,” Franche told reporters in Colombo.
Ongoing monsoon rains continue to pose a hazard with continued landslide warnings, the UN said.
The devastating storm, which hit the island nation late last month, killed at least 639 people and affected more than 2 million others — about 10 percent of the population — causing extensive damage to homes, roads, bridges, industries and agriculture.
Some 200 people are still missing.
The UN’s top envoy to the country, Marc-Andre Franche, announced plans for a $35.3-million emergency fund which he said was needed to feed and cater to the basic needs of 658,000 people who have been worst affected.
The fund excludes reconstruction of damaged infrastructure or personal property and focuses solely on immediate basic needs.
Franche said $9.5 million had already been secured, with the European Union, Switzerland, Britain and the United States among the donors pledging funds.
The United Nations urged member states and other donors to help raise the remaining $25.8 million for the daunting recovery and reconstruction effort.
The natural disaster, which President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has described as the most challenging for his country, struck as Sri Lanka was emerging from its worst economic crisis.
It defaulted on its $46-billion external debt in April 2022, and secured a $2.9-billion bailout from the International Monetary Fund in early 2023, having only stabilized the economy earlier this year.
“The disaster is hitting the country at a moment when around 25 percent of Sri Lankans still live in poverty,” Franche told reporters in Colombo.
Ongoing monsoon rains continue to pose a hazard with continued landslide warnings, the UN said.
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