47 dead, 100 missing in Congo boat accident

[July 25, 2008]  KINSHASA, Congo (AP) -- Officials say a motorized boat has sunk in Congo, killing at least 47 people. Some 100 people are missing.

District Commissioner Mathieu Modeste Bella said that 47 bodies had been recovered from the Ubangi River in the Central African nation. Twenty-seven survivors were helped to shore.

Bella says the boat was carrying at least 182 passengers, mostly merchants but also women and children.

The boat went down on Tuesday after it left the Congo town of Mobayi Bongo. The boat was headed for Central African Republic.

Because of the bad shape of roads, many people prefer to take the small boats even if they do not know how to swim.

[Associated Press]

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.