Over 50 dead in boat capsizing in Central African Republic

Authorities in the Central African Republic have confirmed that 58 people were killed after a passenger boat capsized and sank near the country’s capital of Bangui on Friday, April 19.

The unidentified wooden vessel was transporting more than 300 people, most of whom were on their way to attend a funeral, along the Mpoko River when the capsizing occurred.

Civil protection officials were notified within an hour of the incident and deployed search and rescue (SAR) personnel to the area.

One official told local media that SAR teams and the crews of some Good Samaritan boats recovered 58 deceased individuals from the surrounding waters while an undetermined number of the boat’s occupants are still missing.

The government SAR effort ended on Saturday, April 20. However, the families of some of passengers who are still unaccounted for have reportedly hired boat crews to continue the search for the missing individuals.

The CAR government has ordered an investigation into the tragedy, which has been attributed to overloading.