2 dead after boat sinks in DRC
14/06/2008 09:13  - (SA)  

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Kinshasa - Two people drowned and a dozen others were missing after a barge sunk on the Busira River in northwestern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), a local radio station reported on Friday.

The accident happened on Thursday night when the barge, carrying around 40 passengers, went to the rescue of a floundering boat, UN-sponsored Radio Okapi said.

When passengers from the second boat rushed aboard the barge bringing along merchandise, despite the captain's warnings to those rescued not to bring extra weight with them, the bottom of the overloaded barge gave way.

The accident happened more than 100km from the city of Mbandaka.

Two bodies were fished out of the water following the accident and many of the survivors were seriously injured. Others are still missing.

Local authorities were not available for comment on Friday.

Boating accidents are a common occurrence on the DRC's rivers, mainly caused by overloading, and improperly beaconed waterways.

Most of the boats are also insufficiently equipped to deal with emergency equipment such as life jackets.

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