Congo boat catches fire, capsizes; 200 feared dead

Kinshasa (Congo): A survivor of a boat capsize
in central Congo says at least 200 people are feared dead
after the engine caught fire and led the vessel to overturn.

Survivor Fabrice Muamba says the boat capsized into the
Kasai River late last night. He says the boat was also
carrying many drums full of fuel through Kasai Occidental
Province. He says he thinks 15 people were able to swim to
safety.

Congo is a vast country of jungles and huge rivers in
Central Africa with little more than 480 km of paved road.
Many people prefer to take boats even if they do not know how
to swim.

The boats are often in poor repair and filled beyond
capacity, and the industry is not well-regulated.

PTI