AU condolences at CAR boat disaster victims

The African Union (AU) Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat on Saturday evening offered his condolences over a boat disaster in the Central African Republic (CAR), reported Xinhua.

"All of our solidarity is with the government and people of the CAR following the sinking of a boat on the Mpoko river which caused deaths and injuries," Faki wrote on the social media X, formerly known as Twitter.

Faki also expressed his deep condolences to the families affected by the boat disaster.

The death toll from a shipwreck that occurred Friday in the CAR has risen to 62, locals and authorities said on Sunday.

The tragedy occurred on Friday when a boat transporting more than 300 people over river Mpoko in CAR capital city of Bangui sank.

The passengers were heading to the village of Mokelo, in the commune of Bimbo, Ombella-Mpoko prefecture, for the burial of the remains of a group leader, according to witnesses.