At least 58 people died and others were missing on Friday when an overloaded barge sank on the Mpoko River in Bangui, Central African Republic, while they were on their way to a funeral, the director general of protection announced on Saturday. civil.
More than 300 people on board
“We were able to extract 58 bodies, lifeless. We do not know the total number of people who are underwater,” declared Thomas Djimasse, whose teams arrived on site 40 minutes after the tragedy, to Radio Guira. According to witnesses and videos circulating on social networks, the boat called the whaleboat was carrying more than 300 people, well beyond its capacity, and was just leaving its starting point when it capsized.
The boat capsized shortly after leaving the pier according to Maurice Kapenya, a witness who followed it “in a small canoe”, due to lack of space on board and took out the first victims, including his own sister, with the help of fishermen and local residents, before help arrived. On Saturday, families were still near the river looking for their loved ones who were still missing.