A tragic boat accident in southwestern Congo has claimed the lives of at least 25 people, many of them soccer players, authorities confirmed on Monday.
The victims were returning from a match in Mushie City, Maï-Ndombe province, on Sunday night when their boat capsized on the Kwa River, said provincial spokesman Alexis Mputu. Poor visibility at night may have contributed to the accident, he suggested.
Local administrator Renacle Kwatiba reported that at least 30 people survived the incident.
Deadly boat accidents are common in the Central African nation, where overcrowding and unsafe night travel are frequent issues. Authorities have struggled to enforce maritime safety regulations.
With much of Congo’s infrastructure underdeveloped, rivers serve as a primary means of transportation for the country’s more than 100 million people. However, the widespread use of overloaded wooden vessels has led to recurring disasters, with hundreds of lives lost in similar accidents in recent years.
