DR Congo's lake wreckage toll hits more than 40

KINSHASA, Nov. 30 (Xinhua) -- The death toll of the wreckage on Lake Maindombe in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) hit more than 40 and survivors numbered 257, local radio reported on Sunday, citing a local official.
    Maindombe district commissioner Medard Amundala told the radio that it was difficult to give the final death toll since the search by the Red Cross was still on and therefore no one can say exactly how many people were found on board the boat without concrete evidence.
    "At the moment, there are 45 dead people spread on the village sand at Isendiya Ndamba. Close to 33 bodies were recovered in the locality of Kwamuth. They are still lying on the lake. Four bodies have already been buried at Kotemenge. Seven bodies were buried at Inongo and one body was buried at Isongo," he declared.
    After a boat owned by the SODIFOR company of the DRC capsized on Nov. 25 on Lake Maindombe, there have been conflicting reports about the death toll.
    The Red Cross office in the country reported 73 deaths and 276 survivors, while a witness of the accident, Ewuya Bokana, talked on radio about 90 deaths and approximately 350 survivors.
    Amundala, who had paid a visit to the scene of the wreckage, called on the provincial and national authorities to come to the aid of the survivors who are camping at Inongo, the district headquarters.
    According to local authorities, no information has been presented to them whether the boat was prohibited from transporting people.
    The district authorities have decided to launch an investigation to determine the cause of the wreckage.

Editor: Xiong Tong