At least 11 people have lost their lives, 47 have managed to survive, and several more remain missing after the sinking of a vessel on Friday night at the confluence of the Kwilu and Inzia rivers, in the territory of Bagata, in the west of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The boat, which was traveling between Masi and Manimba, hit a rock and ended up sinking completely. So far, the lifeless bodies of eleven victims have been recovered, including those of three children under 10 years old.
In addition to the human tragedy, considerable material damage has been recorded, with the loss of large volumes of agricultural products. For now, the search operations for the missing have not been able to get underway due to the lack of logistical means in the area.
"We need a ferry to get the boat out. We assume there are still people underwater. There are also goods and tarpaulins (...). We don't have the means to work. It's difficult to know if there are people down there," the administrator of the Bagata territory, Amedée Mbangambuma, told the news portal Actualité.
It is not precisely known how many passengers were traveling on board, although the deputy for Bagata, Garry Sakata, has indicated that there were around 150 people on the vessel. "The manifest clearly indicates that there were 150 passengers. To date, there are 47 survivors, 11 bodies have been recovered, and the rest are still missing," Sakata indicated.