KABUL (Pajhwok): At least 22 people have been killed after two boats collided on a river in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a local official said.
According to Reuters, Crispin Maputo, interior minister of Equateur province, said the incident occurred at around 2am on Saturday near Ngombe in Lokolila territory, western Equateur province.
He said the two vessels were travelling on the river when they collided. One was a commercial boat operating between Kinshasa and Mbandaka, while the other was a passenger boat travelling from Mongala province to Kinshasa.
Maputo said the passenger boat sank after the collision. A security source said 163 passengers were on board.
The minister said the bodies of 22 victims had been recovered and buried, while 59 people had been rescued. Search operations were continuing for those still missing.
According to Maputo, the sunken boat was lying at a depth of about 12 metres, and efforts to recover it continued until Monday evening.
The cause of the collision has not been immediately established.
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