86 killed as boat sinks in Congo River tributary

At least 86 people, including 21 children, were killed after a boat sank late Monday on the Kwa River, one of the tributaries of the Congo River, in the province of Mai-Ndombe, in the western Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), local sources told Xinhua Tuesday.

According to the sources, the accident took place near the village of Lediba around 11 p.m., local time, Monday. The boat was bound for Kinshasa, the capital of the DRC, from the town of Mushie.

The sources said that 185 people were rescued so far, warning that the death toll could likely rise. The number of passengers on board the boat remains unknown.