At least 78 people drowned when a boat carrying 278 passengers capsized in Lake Kivu in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo on Thursday, a provincial governor said.
Relatives sobbed on shore as victims were placed in body bags and carried away, a Reuters witness said, and video footage shared widely online showed a packed multi-deck vessel listing sideways in calm waters before it overturned and pitched flailing passengers into the lake.
Reuters was not immediately able to verify the footage.
It was not clear how many people were still missing and regional officials gave contrasting death tolls.
The governor of South Kivu province, said the death toll was 78 and that 278 had been on board.
“It’ll take at least three days to get the exact numbers, because not all the bodies have been found yet,” Governor Jean Jacques Purisi told Reuters.
The governor of neighbouring North Kivu province said 58 people had survived the accident and that 28 people were confirmed dead so far.
The boat capsized around 700 metres from port and the causes of the accident are being investigated, he said in a statement.
Deadly boat accidents are common in Congolese waters, where vessels are frequently loaded beyond capacity.
At a local hospital, one survivor said conditions were calm when the crowded boat overturned. As others drowned around him, he struggled to stay afloat until he was rescued by Congolese troops.