(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) The new toll represented a dramatic increase on the provisional figure of 26 deaths given on Saturday.
At least 129 people drowned when a passenger ship capsized on Lake Tanganyika in the southeast of Democratic Republic of Congo according to a new official death toll on Sunday.
“Rescue workers recovered a total of 129 bodies” an official said adding there were a number of women and children among the victims in Thursday’s disaster.
The new toll represented a dramatic increase on the provisional figure given on Saturday by the government of DRC’s Katanga province which had spoken of at least 26 dead.
So far the number of survivors stood at 232 mostly men the provincial minister for transport said adding that rescue workers had found more people in the water on Sunday who had been clinging onto petrol cans and other objects for over 48 hours and were in a very weakened condition.
“The search for other survivors and bodies is continuing” he added.
The accident took place on Thursday night in the north of Katanga province between the towns of Moba and Kalemie.
Officials said strong winds and overloading caused the M/V Mutambala which was bound for Uvira further north in South Kivu province to capsize.
The boat was carrying cargo as well as passengers.
Disasters with high numbers of fatalities are frequent on the lakes and rivers of DRC where vessels are often overloaded life jackets frequently missing and many people cannot swim.
Lake Tanganyika is the longest freshwater lake in the world and also borders Tanzania as well as Burundi and Zambia.
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