50 dead in boat accident in northwest DR Congo

50 dead in boat accident in northwest DR Congo

Fifty people died in a boat accident on a river in remote northwestern Democratic Republic of Congo, officials said yesterday.

The accident happened on the Momboyo river Wednesday night, Richard Mboyo Iluka, vice governor of Tshuapa province, said: "We found 49 bodies on Thursday and another one this morning."

The boat had been transporting passengers and a large amount of goods from the town of Monkoto to the city of Mabandaka in Equateur province, local residents said.