At least 22 dead after boats collide on Congo river

At least 22 people have died after two boats collided on the Congo River in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The incident occurred near the town of Ngombe in Lukolela territory in western Equateur province at around 2:00 am local time (0100 GMT) on Saturday, Crispin Mputu, the provincial interior minister, told Reuters.

The collision involved two vessels travelling on the river.

One was a commercial boat operating between Kinshasa and Mbandaka, while the other was a passenger riverboat travelling from Mongala province to Kinshasa, Mputu said.

The impact caused the passenger boat to sink. A security source told Reuters it had 163 passengers on board.

Twenty-two bodies have been recovered and buried, while 59 people were rescued, Mputu said. He added that other victims might have been buried elsewhere.

The sunken vessel remains submerged at a depth of 12 metres and recovery efforts were continuing on Monday evening, Mputu said.

River transport is the main form of travel and trade in much of western Congo, where towns and cities are located along the Congo River, but accidents are common because vessels are often overcrowded and poorly maintained.