At least 58 people died when an overloaded barge sank in the Mpoko River in the capital region of the Central African Republic - Bangui, reported France Press, quoted by BTA, specifying that many of the passengers of the vessel are missing.
AFP adds that the people on the barge were traveling down the river for a funeral, citing the CAR government.
"We managed to remove 58 lifeless bodies from the river, but there is no idea how many people are under the water,", Gira said on radio. the general director of "Civil Protection" Thomas Jimas. The first rescue teams of the government service, which he heads, arrived at the scene forty minutes after the tragedy.
According to the statements of eyewitnesses and videos distributed on social networks, the barge was carrying more than three hundred people, which is far beyond its capacity, notes AFP.