At least 22 people died after two boats collided on the Congo River near the town of Ngombe in Lukolela territory, western Equateur province, on Saturday morning, an official said.
The incident occurred around 2 a.m. local time (0100 GMT) and involved a commercial boat operating between Kinshasa and Mbandaka and a passenger riverboat traveling from Mongala province to Kinshasa, Crispin Mputu, the provincial interior minister, told Reuters.
The impact caused the passenger boat to sink. A security source said it had 163 passengers on board. Twenty‑two bodies have been recovered and buried, while 59 people were rescued, Mputu said. He added that other victims might have been buried elsewhere.
The sunken vessel remains submerged at a depth of 12 metres and recovery efforts were continuing on Monday evening, Mputu said.
River transport is the main form of travel and trade in much of western Congo, where towns and cities are located along the Congo River, but accidents are common because vessels are often overcrowded and poorly maintained.
