More than 20 people have drowned and several others remain missing after a boat capsized on Lake Mai-Ndombe in northwestern Democratic Republic of Congo.
Local church officials confirmed that the passengers were travelling toward the capital, Kinshasa, on Thursday evening, and that among the victims was a newly ordained Catholic deacon.
The Diocese of the region issued a statement mourning those lost.
Emmanuel Bola, a resident of the nearby town of Inongo, told the Associated Press that the boat departed from the town of Kiri and overturned between the villages of Bobini and Lòpke at around 8 p.m. The exact number of passengers onboard remains unclear.
Congolese authorities have not yet released an official casualty toll or provided details on what caused the accident. Search operations are ongoing amid fears that the death toll may rise.
Boat accidents are common in the DR Congo, where vessels often travel overloaded and without adequate safety measures, particularly on remote inland waterways such as Lake Mai-Ndombe.
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