DR Congo : Over 143 Dead In Boat Fire Accident

Congolese officials on Friday reported that at least 143 people have died and many others missing after a fuel-laden wooden boat caught fire and capsized on the Congo River near Mbandaka, the capital of Equateur Province. The tragic incident which occurred on Tuesday at the junction of the Ruki and Congo Rivers one of the world’s deepest river system was after the overcrowded passenger vessel burst into flames, resulting in one of the deadliest Congo River accidents in recent years. Compétent Loyoko, the river commissioner, told The Associated Press that the fire was as result of a woman cooking on board the vessel. Search for the missing is ongoing with rescue teams supported by the Red Cross and provincial authorities. 
The motorized wooden boat with about 400 passengers caught fire near the town of Mbandaka, after having left the port of Matankumu for the Bolomba territory, Competent Loyoko, the river commissioner, told The Associated Press news agency. Several passengers, including women and children, died after jumping into the water without being able to swim. About 100 survivors were taken to an improvised shelter at the Mbandaka town hall, many of them with bad burns.  “A first group of 131 bodies were found on Wednesday, with a further 12 recovered on Thursday and Friday. Several of them are charred,” said Josephine-Pacifique Lokumu, head of a delegation of national...