Kampala [Central African Republic], April 22: At least 58 people died in a boat accident in the Central African Republic.
On Friday, the overcrowded boat on the Mpoko River close to the capital Bangui became unbalanced shortly after setting off and broke apart.
Civil Defence Director General Thomas Djimasse told Central African radio station Radio Guira that many women and children were among the dead.
The approximately 300 passengers were on their way to a funeral. The exact number of victims was initially unknown. A number of people were still missing.
According to civil defence reports, rescue workers only arrived at the scene of the accident 40 minutes after the boat capsized.
Transport by river is widely used in the central African country as many roads are in poor condition. But many of the boats are made of wood and are poorly maintained.
Footage of the accident on social media shows people falling or jumping into the water trying to reach the banks of the river.
Boat disasters are not uncommon in the Central African Republic.
"What just happened was terrifying," a witness told French-language broadcaster RFI.
"I know a family who've lost seven relatives in this tragedy."
Maurice Kapenya, who was following the boat in a canoe because there was no space on board, said he collected the bodies of some of the victims, including his own sister, with the help of fishermen and residents.
Some of the injured were evacuated by motorbike taxis. Driver Francis Maka told AFP he had "taken more than 10 people to the community hospital... free of charge, in the face of the tragedy".
With civil protection teams no longer on the scene Saturday, families searching for their missing loved ones near the river helped canoe operators they had hired, an AFP journalist observed.
Source: Qatar Tribune