At least 80 individuals have lost their lives after a boat capsized and sank in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The incident occurred on Wednesday on the Kwa River, approximately 70km from the town of Mushie in the Maï-Ndombe province, near the border with neighbouring Congo-Brazzaville.
President Félix Tshisekedi devastated about the incident, issued an official statement on social media. He assured that those impacted would receive assistance and further ordered an investigation into the cause of the disaster.
“The President of the Republic is calling for an investigation into the true causes of this unfortunate incident, to prevent such a disaster from happening again in the future,” the presidency said on X, formerly Twitter.
Tragic boat accidents are a frequent occurrence in DR Congo, where vessels are often overcrowded with passengers, they are seldomly provided with safety jackets as they lack swimming abilities.