70 Dead in Second DRC Boat Disaster
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Monday, September 06, 2010
A Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) official says 70 people are believed dead after a riverboat capsized in the second reported deadly boat tipping this weekend.
Equateur Province spokesperson Ebale Engumba said on Sunday the boat hit a rock early on Saturday in northwest DRC. She says 15 people survived among more than 100 estimated passengers.
Another boat tipping in Kasai Occidental Province left 200 people feared dead after the overloaded boat caught fire on Saturday evening.
The DRC is a vast country of jungles and huge rivers in Central Africa with little more than 480km of paved road. Many people prefer to take boats even if they do not know how to swim.
The boats are often in poor repair and filled beyond capacity, and the industry is poorly regulated.