12 dead in India, 36 missing in DRC in separate incidents of boat sinking

At least 36 people are missing after the sinking of a boat on Sunday at Maluku commune, a district on the banks of the Congo River in Kinshasa's suburbs, according to announces of the Congolese national police on the spot.

According to police authorities, only 76 survivors have so far been counted on a hundred of passengers embarked on the edge of this boat which came from the province of Mai-Ndombe, province located southwest of the city of Kinshasa.

The boat filled with goods and passengers capsized at Mambutuka locality in Maluku commune. For the moment, research is under way to try to find other survivors in the accident area.

No bodies have yet been retrieved by the local river services in the area where the authorities say they have deployed the Congolese army's naval forces, to intensify research on the extent of the accident, which is not away from the main port of the village of Maluku located about fifty kilometers from the city of Kinshasa.

Shipwrecks are frequent between the city of Kinshasa and the province of Mai-Ndombe, where dozens of boats leave with passengers to go to refuel agricultural goods and others.

The overload and poor conditions of the ships are generally at the root of most shipwrecks on the river and across the country, where most of these ships can not withstand storms during navigation.

In another incident, at least 12 persons died and around 30 went missing in India's southern state of Andhra Pradesh on Sunday after a boat capsized in the East Godavari district.

A total of 62 people were onboard the ill-fated boat which capsized near the Katchuluru village of the district.

Twenty people, some of whom wore life jackets, were reportedly saved by local villagers, according to media reports. Twelve dead bodies were also recovered from the mishap site, they added.

Rescue work was already being carried out before the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team and the local police rushed to the spot.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed pain and anguish at the mishap and loss of lives. He tweeted: "Extremely pained by the capsizing of a boat in Andhra Pradesh's East Godavari. My thoughts are with the bereaved families. Rescue operations are currently underway at the site of the tragedy."

According to the media reports, as many as ten boat staff were among the 30 missing people.