At least 58 individuals en route to a funeral perished when their overloaded boat capsized on the Mpoko river in Bangui, the Central African Republic’s capital, as reported by the head of civil protection on Saturday.
“We have recovered 58 lifeless bodies,” stated Thomas Djimasse to Radio Guira. “The total number of people submerged remains unknown.”
Witness accounts and social media videos indicate that the boat was transporting over 300 passengers—some standing, others on wooden structures—when it capsized on Friday.
The boat, destined for a village chief’s funeral, encountered trouble shortly after departure. Rescue teams arrived 40 minutes post-disaster.
Maurice Kapenya, trailing the boat in a canoe due to lack of space onboard, managed to retrieve several victims’ bodies, including his sister’s, with assistance from fishermen and locals.
Injured individuals were transported to the community hospital by motorbike taxis, with driver Francis Maka informing AFP that he had ferried over 10 people without charge, responding to the calamity.
As civil protection units had departed the site by Saturday, families, aided by hired canoe operators, continued their search for missing relatives along the riverbank, as witnessed by an AFP reporter.
